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PRINCETON,    N.  J 


Purchased  by  the  Hammill   Missionary  Fund. 

BV  3457  .S3  N3  1893 

Naruse,  Jinzo. 

A  modern  Paul  in  Japan 

Number 


PAUL   SAWAYAMA. 


A  MODERN  PAUL  IN  JAPAN 


^n  Account 

OF  THE  LIFE  AND    WORK   OF   THE 
REV.   PAUl!:^WAYAMA 


JINZO^NARUSE 


WITH   AN   INTRODUCTION 

BY 

REV.   ALEXANDER  McKENZIE,   D.D. 


"  No  thought,  no  word,  no  act  of  man  ever  dies.  They  are  as 
immortal  as  his  own  soul.  Somewhere  in  this  world  he  will  meet 
their  fruits  in  part;  somewhere  in  future  life  he  will  meet  their 
gathered  harvest." 


BOSTON  AND  CHICAGO 


Copyright,  1893, 

By  Congregational  Sunday-School  and  Publishing 

Society. 


DeUicateU  to 

MY    AMERICAN    FRIENDS 

WHO    OUT    OF    LOVE    FOR    JAPAN 

HAVE    ENCOURAGED    ME    IN 

MY  LIFE  WORK. 


PREFACE. 


DEV.  DR.  NEESIMA  and  the  Rev.  Paul 
Sawayama  were  the  two  great  captains  of 
Christ,  in  Japan.  Both  died  on  the  battlefield, 
fighting  the  good  fight.  Dr.  Neesima  having 
laid  the  foundation  of  Christian  education, 
the  Japanese  people  respect  and  love  him 
as  the  Father  of  Education.  Rev.  Paul 
Sawayama  having  laid  the  corner  stone  of  the 
Independent  Christian  Church,  the  people 
respect  and  love  him  as  the  Father  of  their 
Faith. 

It  has  seemed  possible,  having  come  into 
close  relationship  with  the  choice  spirit  of 
our  loved  brother,  Paul  Sawayama,  in  both 
companionship  and  Christian  work,  in  our 
native  land,  that  it  may  be  my  own  special 
province  and  privilege  to  try  so  to  bring 
before  all  students  of  our  native  character- 
istics his  admirable  traits  of  character  and 
sweet  spirit.     By  so  doing,  perhaps,   a  new 


A  Modem  Paul, 

view  may  come  to  light  of  the  possibilities 
wrapped  up  in  the  hearts  of  the  many  Jap- 
anese Christians  who  are  earnestly  desirous  of 
living  up  to  the  pattern  of  the  meek  and  lowly 
Jesus  Christ. 

It  is  also  hoped  to  open  up  the  deeper  side 
of  the  Japanese  character,  to  show  the  en- 
thusiasm of  the  young  Christians  there,  their 
power  of  self-reliance,  and  the  eagerness  and 
stragglings  of  the  young  women  for  improve- 
ment. 

I  wish  here  to  express  my  hearty  gratitude 
to  my  friend.  Rev.  C.  S.  Patton,  Pastor  of 
the  Congregational  Church  of  Auburn,  Maine, 
companionship  with  whom  at  Andover  Theo- 
logical Seminary  facilitated  my  study  of  the 
English  language,  and  to  whom  I  am  much 
indebted  for  the  kind  assistance  and  encour- 
agement which  enabled  me  to  accomplish  this 
work. 

J.N. 
August,  1893. 


CONTENTS, 


PAGE 

CHAPTER  I. 

Social  Conditions  at  the  Time  of  Mr.  Sawa- 
yama's  Youth.  —  His  Birth. — The  Edu- 
cation and  Discipline  of  Children.— Moral 
Discipline.  —  Religion 9 

CHAPTER  II. 

Studies.  —  Service  in  the  Army.  —  Journey  to 

America.  —  Conversion 32 

CHAPTER  III. 
Trials.— Vocation.  —  His  Church.  —  Influence. 
— Suffering.  — Preaching.  —  Self-support- 
ing Methods.  —  Revival 44 

CHAPTER  IV. 
Home  Mission  Work.  —  Speech  at  the  Great 

Conference   121 

CHAPTER  V. 

School  Work. — Woman's  Education  in  Japan    157 

CHAPTER  VI. 
The  Work  in  Niigata.  —  Christian  Education. 
—  Prejudice    against   Higher   Education 
for  Women.— Mr.  Sawayama's  Death..    169 


INTRODUCTION 


The  Christian  world  has   become   specially 
Interested  in  the  educational  work  in  Japan, 
through  the  valuable  services  of  Dr.  Neesima. 
This  interest  will  be  enlarged  by  the  memoir  of 
Paul  Sawayama,  which  is  now  presented  by  Mr. 
Naruse.    Probably  a  clearer  idea  of  the  nature 
of  this  work  and  of  the  circumstances  under 
which  it  must  be  carried  on  can  be  obtained 
fi'om  memoirs  of  this  character  than  in  any 
other  way,  while  the  personal  narrative  is  vivid 
and  instructive.    Facts  are  more  convincing  and 
abiding  than  theories,  and  those  which  belong 
to  the  effort  of  a  man  whose  life  is  given  in 
them  are  of  singular  force.    I    am  confident 
that  the  readers  of   Mr.  Naruse's  interesting 
pages  will  be  profited  by  his  story  of  a  useful 
career.    The  high  endeavor  of  which  he  writes 
must  commend  itself  to  all  who  care  for  Japan 
and  who  see  in  the  education  of  women  a  large 
and  assured  hope  of  the  advance  of  the  country 
in  the  Christian  knowledge  which  must  elevate 
the  people  of  that  land,  as  of  any  land.    It  is 
greatly  to  be  desired  that  the  author  of  this 


Introduction. 

narrative  may  be  enabled  to  fulfill  the  high 
purposes  with  which  he  has  labored  here  and 
with  which  he  returns  to  his  own  people.  So 
far  as  this  book  shall  further  this  desire  it  will 
be  a  noble  extension  of  Mr.  Sawayama's  influ- 
ence and  of  the  work  which  controlled  his  life. 
ALEXANDER  McKENZIE. 

The  First  Church  in  Cambridge, 
September  15,  1893. 


A  MODERN  PAUL  IN  JAPAN 


CHAPTER   I. 

sawayama's  youth. 

IR.  SAWAYAMA  and  the  writer 
were  born  contemporaneously  in 
the  same  town  and  were  brought 
up  in  similar  families,  belonging  in  the 
same  class,  samurai,^  under  the  same  prince. 
We  thus  received  the  same  influences  from 

HJp  to  twenty-five  years  ago  there  existed  four  social 
distinctions  among  the  people.  The  first  of  all  these  classes 
was  samurai,  which  may  be  translated  knights.  Next  to 
this  came  the  class  of  fai-mers.  The  reason  why  they  were 
placed  next  in  importance  to  the  samurai  was  that  they 
provided  all  necessary  things  for  living.  Next  to  the  farm- 
ers came  the  class  of  artisans  or  carpenters,  and  the  last  of 
all  came  the  merchants  or  tradesmen,  who  were  regarded  as 
the  lowest  and  most  useless  class  of  people,  because  their 
aim  was  that  of  making  money.  The  sentiment  of  the 
people  in  regard  to  money  may  be  seen  in  the  following :  — 

*'The  wise  man  loves  wisdom,  but  the  foolish  man  loves 
riches. 

"The  foolish  man,  although  possessing  riches,  is  like 
a  flower  under  frost  —  decaying  ;  while  the  wise  man, 
although  in  poverty,  is  like  a  lotus  springing  up  from  the 
mud." 


10  A  Modern  Paul, 

the  same  surroundings,  the  same  instruc- 
tion and  discipline  from  the  same  masters 
at  school,  Mr.  Sawayama  being  a  pupil 
in  my  father's  private  school. 

I  would  like  to  give  the  reader  a  cor- 
rect impression  of  Mr.  Sawayama's  child- 
hood. As  the  particular  events  which 
belong  to  it  are  naturally  somewhat  indis- 
tinct in  my  memory,  the  picture  which  I 
wish  to  present  may  perhaps  be  best 
drawn  if  I  state  some  recollections  of  my 
own  childhood.  In  the  mirror  of  this  the 
reader  may  discern  how  Mr.  Sawayama's 
life  began,  and  may  appreciate  how  it 
developed  into  that  beautiful  and  noble 
Christian  character  which  made  it  a 
power  in  Japanese  life. 

Mr.  Sawayama  was  born  in  the  Prov- 
ince of  Choshii,  under  the  shadow  of  the 
magnificent  mountain  Idsumi,  in  the  sev- 
enteenth year  before  the  Japanese  Revo- 
lutionary War.  The  writer  was  born  ten 
years  later  in  the  same  village. 

My  earliest  recollection  is  that  of  the 


Sawayama^s  Youth.  11 

flower  gardens  and  groves  which  sur- 
rounded my  home  and  the  hedge  of  ever- 
greens which  enclosed  the  yard.  My 
mother  has  often  told  me  how,  when  I' 
began  to  creep,  I  was  entrusted  to  serv- 
ants who  allowed  me  to  creep  about  in 
the  garden.  The  servants  at  noon  on  one 
warm  day  left  their  small  charge  to  amuse 
himself  and  all  went  in  to  their  dinner. 
The  most  inviting  amusement  seemed  to 
be  to  creep  toward  a  pond  which  was  a 
few  yards  from  the  gate.  Once  at  the 
edge  of  this  pond,  the  natural  thing  was 
to  creep  still  farther.  A  man  coming 
along  a  moment  later,  found  a  baby  float- 
ing upon  the  water.  He  hastened  to  save 
it,  but  it  was  already  breathless. 

The  servants  ran  out  in  great  fright, 
and  having  built  a  fire  and  warmed  the 
body  and  having  swung  their  neglected 
charge  rapidly  in  the  air  to  revive  him, 
they  waited  in  great  anxiety  the  appear- 
ance of  my  father.  They  dreaded  his 
anger,  for  he  might  well  be  angry  over 


12  A  Modern  Paul, 

the  danger  into  which  their  neglect  had 
brought  his  only  son  and  heir. 

But  when  my  father  returned  from  the 
office  of  the  prince,  he  was  very  calm  and 
self-possessed.  He  did  not  speak  a  single 
word  of  anger  or  even  of  reproach.  For 
at  such  a  time  the  mind  of  the  samurai 
must  not  be  shaken  up  by  any  emotion. 
He  was  trained  to  stand  bravely  before 
any  and  all  troubles  which  might  come. 
He  must  not  allow  himself  to  change 
complexion,  though  sorrow,  poverty,  or 
even  death  should  fall  to  his  lot. 

"While  there  are  no  strivings  of  pleas- 
ure, anger,  sorrow,  or  joy,  the  mind  may 
be  said  to  be  in  the  state  of  equilibrium. 
When  these  feelings  are  aroused,  if  they 
act  in  their  due  degree,  there  ensues  what 
may  be  called  the  state  of  harmony. 
This  equilibrium  is  the  great  root  from 
which  all  that  is  good  in  life  springs  ;  and 
this  is  the  path  which  all  should  pursue." 
This  philosophy  the  samurai  obeyed  vig- 
orously.    I  remember,  when   my  mother 


Sawayama^s  Youth,  13 

and  my  aunt  and  my  younger  brother 
died,  how  I,  as  a  child,  could  not  control 
myself  but  wept  bitterly;  but  my  father 
preserved  his  tranquility  of  mind  per- 
fectly and  I  never  saw  a  tear  so  much  as 
start  to  his  eye.  In  one  instance,  indeed, 
he  came  near  losing  his  envied  harmony 
for  a  moment ;  but  he  only  came  near 
losing  it  and  only  for  a  moment.  A  few 
days  before  his  own  death,  while  he  was 
enfeebled  by  a  very  severe  illness,  the  sad 
report  came  to  him  that  my  younger 
brother  had  died  suddenly  at  a  remote 
place.  I  was  at  his  side  when  the  news 
came  and  I  saw  him  cover  his  face  for 
an  instant  with  the  comforter ;  but  when 
he  looked  up  again  I  saw  no  trace  of 
tears. 

As  to  the  education  of  our  childhood, 
it  consisted  chiefly  in  learning  to  read  and 
write,  in  hearing  lectures,  making  poems, 
calculating  numbers,  drawing,  and  fenc- 
ing. In  the  early  morning,  before  break- 
fast, we  were  taught  reading ;  in  the  day- 


14  A  Modern  Paul 

time  we  listened  to  lectures,  and  in  the 
evening  we  were  taught  calculation. 

It  was  a  very  great  task  to  commit  to 
memory  the  several  thousand  characters 
which,  imported  from  China,  were  used 
in  writing  Japanese,  though  we  had  the 
Japanese  original  alphabet  which  con- 
sists of  forty-six  letters.^  And  it  was  a 
very  hard  task  for  such  small  children 
(I  began  to  go  to  school  when  I  was  five) 
to  wake  so  early  at  all  seasons  of  the 
year  and  in  the  most  severe  winter 
weather  to  enter  the  schoolroom  with  no 
fire  in  it.  And  in  the  summer  it  was  a 
very  sleepy  task,  for  we  were  not  allowed 
to  sleep  early  in  the  evening,  but  at  that 
time  were  compelled  to  receive  our  in- 
struction in  mathematics. 

Sometimes  we  were  made  to  go  to 
school  barefoot  in  the  snow  or  over  the 
hoar  frost.  These  things  which  may  seem 
like    hard    treatment  —  and    there    were 


In  Japanese  one  letter  stands  for  one  syllable,  while  iu 
Chinese,  one  character  stands  for  a  word. 


Saivayama's  Youth.  15 

many  such  things  in  a  boy's  education  — 
were  regarded  as  no  less  important  a  part 
in  education  than  were  the  studies  which 
we  pursued.  For  by  such  treatment  the 
parents  of  the  samurai  class  sought  to 
develop  in  their  children  what  they  call 
"  Yamato-damashi^^^  the  Japanese  spirit, 
that  is,  the  spirit  of  self-denial,  of  self- 
sacrifice  for  prince  and  country.  They 
sought  to  develop  also  what  they  call 
harakiri^  or,  the  spirit  of  suicide.  This 
word  harahiri  means  literally  the  cutting 
of  the  abdomen.  The  motive  of  parents 
in  teaching  the  spirit  of  harakiri  was  to 
produce  that  bravery  which  would  make 
one  willing  to  die  for  others  or  for  the 
sake  of  any  good  cause.  It  was  a  shame- 
ful thing  if  a  samurai  was  not  brave 
enough  to  commit  harakiri;  for  by  his 
cowardice  he  would  show  that  he  was  not 
able  to  die  for  the  sake  of  righteousness 
or  for  his  prince  or  country.  Thus  it 
came  to  be  regarded  as  a  great  disgrace 
to  die  by  the  sword  of  another  or  to  be 


16  A  Modern  Paul. 

captured  in  battle.  Harakiri  was  the 
sign  of  that  heroism  which  was  the  spe- 
cial characteristic  of  the  samurai. 

Among  many  instances  which  I  might 
give  of  this  spirit  of  harakiri  which  pre- 
vailed among  the  samurai,  I  will  give 
only  one,  which  came  under  my  personal 
knowledge :  — 

My  teacher's  brother,  when  under  the 
influence  of  wine,  almost  unconsciously 
uttered  some  words  which  were  thought 
to  imply  rebellion.  Trouble  ensued,  and 
at  last  he  was  ordered  to  commit  hara- 
kiri.  He  prepared  a  place  for  the  execu- 
tion at  his  own  home.  Several  officers, 
his  brother  and  near  relatives  were  pres- 
ent. He  took  a  short  knife  and  cut  his 
stomach  from  side  to  side,  then  thrust 
his  knife  into  his  throat  and  fell  dead. 

If  any  man  of  the  samurai  class  had 
committed  any  crime,  it  was  a  great  dis- 
grace for  him  to  receive  his  execution 
at  the  hands  of  another.  Or  if  he  were 
overcome    in    battle,   the    only   honorable 


Sawayama's  Youth.  17 

course  was  for  him  to  prevent  his  cap- 
ture by  taking  his  own  life.  The  culti- 
vation of  this  spirit  was  an  essential  part 
of  the  samurai's  education.^ 

This  ideal  of  strictness  which  the  samu- 
rai taught  his  children  he  strove  to  incul- 
cate, not  only  by  instilling  the  principles 
upon  which  it  rested,  but  by  his  own 
example.  We  had  many  forms  of  pro- 
priety which  were  enforced  by  very  strin- 
gent rules,  —  an  elaborate  and  finished 
system  of  politeness.  For  instance,  there 
was  the  rule  for  sitting  down  on  the  mat 
in  the  true  Japanese  fashion.  It  was  not 
usual  to  practice  this  every  day  and  on 
all  occasions,  for  it  was  very  tiresome, 
if  not  absolutely  painful,  to  sit  in  such 
a  cramped  position  a  long  time,  while 
reading,  or  writing,  or  speaking,  or  doing 
business  at  the  office.     So  the  lower  class 

1  For  this  reason  tlie  Japanese  calleil  the  two  swords, 
carried  by  the  samurai  from  childhood  to  old  age,  Yamato- 
/)amasZtn  —  Japanese  spirit.  One  of  them  was  long,  and 
this  served  for  fighting  and  protection;  while  the  other 
one  was  short,  which  served  for  harahiri.  The  wearing 
of  the  two  swords  stopped  in  1868,  after  the  revolution  which 
destroyed  the  feudal  system. 


18  A  Modern  Paul 

of  the  samurai  often  allowed  this  rule 
to  go  unnoticed  in  their  private  rooms. 
But  my  father  never  lost  the  extreme 
strictness  of  his  manners,  in  this  or  in 
any  particular,  even  in  his  most  private 
rooms.  My  mother  has  told  me  hovr  he 
vi^ould  never  put  his  feet  out  against  the 
hearth  in  the  coldest  winter  weather,  lest 
he  should  set  the  example  of  carelessness 
before  his  children.  Thus  he  never  ate 
candy  or  fruits  at  the  improper  time ;  he 
never  went  to  the  theatre,  because  he 
thought  that  these  things  contained  strong 
temptations  for  children,  and  he  would 
set  no  example  except  of  the  strictest  pro- 
priety. But  he  drank  wine  and  smoked 
tobacco,  for  the  Japanese  never  consid- 
ered these  as  bad  habits  for  mature  peo- 
ple. "  Wine  is  the  king  of  all  medicine," 
they  said. 

It  was  the  custom  of  parents  also  to 
encourage  their  children  in  their  studies 
by  telling  them  stories  of  enthusiastic 
students   and   what    happened    to    them. 


Sawayama^s  Youth.  19 

A  very  common  story  was  that  of  an 
earnest  student  who  one  day  became  so 
interested  in  his  study  that  he  did  not 
notice  that  a  shower  had  begun  to  fall 
until  the  corn  which  he  was  drying  in 
the  sunshine  was  washed  away  by  the 
flood.  Another  story  was  that  of  the 
poor  boy  who,  being  unable  to  buy  oil 
by  which  to  study,  studied  in  the  sum- 
mer evenings  by  the  light  of  the  fireflies 
which  he  caught,  and  in  the  winter  by 
the  reflection  of  the  snow.  There  was 
also  the  account  of  the  self-denying  stu- 
dent who  put  his  head  through  the  noose 
in  a  rope  which  he  suspended  from  the 
ceiling;  and  when  his  head  dropped  for- 
ward as  he  fell  into  a  doze,  he  was  sud- 
denly awakened,  and  went  on  with  his 
study. 

The  morality  of  the  time  was  a  some- 
what peculiar  one,  which  came  from  an 
alloy  of  the  Japanese  Shintoism  and  the 
Confucianism  and  Buddhism  which  were 
imported  from  China. 


20  A  Modern  Paul, 

The  first  duty  was  the  religious  one  — 
to  obey  the  decrees  of  heaven,  and  to 
serve  the  spirits  of  ancestors.^  The  most 
familiar  obligation,  was  that  of  obeying 
the  decrees  of  heaven  :  "  What  heaven  has 
conferred  is  called  the  nature  ;  an  accord- 
ance with  this  nature  is  called  the  path 
of  duty;  the  regulation  of  this  path  is 
called  instruction." 

The  next  duty  was  that  of  the  "^o- 
n'n,"  or  the  duty  of  the  five  relations. 
These  five  relations  were,  first,  the  rela- 
tion between  master  or  prince  and  ser- 
vant; second,  that  between  father  and 
son ;  third,  that  between  man  and  wife  ; 
fourth,  that  between  brethren  ;  fifth,  that 
between  friends. 

Thus,  fidelity,  loyalty,  and  patriotism 
were  the  highest  virtues ;  and  the  Japan- 
ese people  have  many  great  examples  of 

iThe  way  of  serving  ancestors  was  to  offer  water  or 
incense  or  flowers  or  otlier  things  at  the  altar  of  the  spirits 
of  the  ancestors  in  the  laome,  and  tablets  in  the  Buddhist's 
temple  and  at  the  graves  in  the  cemetery.  They  believed 
that  they  could  communicate  with  the  spirits  of  ancestors 
by  worshiping  and  offering  such  things  as  the  above. 


Sawayama's  Youth,  21 

these  virtues.  I  myself  never  had  the 
experience  of  military  service  in  behalf 
of  the  prince,  for  I  was  too  small  at  the 
time  when  such  service  was  needed  by 
him.  But  I  remember  clearly  the  desire 
which  I  had  to  become  a  soldier  during 
the  closing  scenes  of  the  war.  I  was 
then  about  twelve  years  old.  I  asked 
my  father's  permission.  He  was  silent. 
After  I  had  waited  several  days  for  him 
to  speak  to  me,  I  understood  by  his  con- 
tinued silence  that  he  would  not  allow 
me  to  go  the  battle  field. 

If  my  father's  silence,  in  this  instance 
just  mentioned,  should  seem  strange  to 
Americans,  as  my  observation  wouM  lead 
me  to  suppose  it  might,  let  me  explain 
that  in  Japan  the  scholar  or  prudent  man 
does  not  speak  much.  He  controls  his 
family  by  a  silent  authority.  Even  yet 
a  peculiar  tendency  toward  soberness,  or 
almost  toward  severity  of  expression  and 
feeling,  is  noticeable  among  the  Japanese. 
"  Fine  words  and  an  insinuating  appear- 


22  A  Modern  Paul 

ance  are  seldom  associated  with  true  vir- 
tue," they  often  say. 

Filial  piety  was  a  virtue  next  in  im- 
portance to  loyalty.  ''  Filial  piety  is  the 
root  of  all  virtues."  The  child  or  youth 
must  be  studious,  must  practice  the  truth, 
must  take  care  of  his  health,  must  avoid 
dangers,  not  so  much  for  his  own  sake 
as  because  he  owes  it  to  his  parents. 
When  I  was  a  boy  my  great  delight  was 
to  see  the  happiness  of  my  parents  over 
such  progress  as  I  made  in  my  studies; 
or  to  bring  to  them  for  their  approval 
the  results  of  a  hunting  or  fishiug  expe- 
dition. But  according  to  my  own  feeling, 
and  my  own  case  is  merely  a  typical  one, 
my  father  was  too  stern,  and  my  mother 
was,  perhaps,  too  affectionate.  I  never 
had  what  Americans  call  "  fun  "  with  my 
father, —  never  joked  with  him;  but  I 
often  conversed,  or  even  played  with  my 
mother;  and  while  of  course  I  did  love 
my  father  and  did  respect  my  mother, 
yet  it  seems  a  much  more  natural  state- 


Sawayama's  Youth.  23 

ment  of  the  case  to  say  that  I  respected 
my  father,  but  loved  my  mother.  I  even 
had  a  voice  against  my  mother's  com- 
mands sometimes,  and  occasionally  I  would 
disobey  her;  but  in  all  my  life  I  never 
disobeyed  my  father,  nor  can  I  remember 
a  single  instance  in  which  I  remonstrated 
by  even  so  much  as  a  word  or  sign  against 
any  command  of  his. 

One  sentiment  which  from  childhood 
we  were  taught  to  repeat  often,  was  this : 
"  What  you  do  not  want  done  to  j^ourself 
do  not  do  it  to  others."  My  father  was 
very  strict  in  requiring  my  obedience  to 
this  rule.  One  day  (I  must  have  been 
about  nine  years  old),  a  boy  friend  and  I 
began  to  quarrel.  At  length  we  came  to 
an  open  fight  which  continued  for  almost 
two  hours,  sometimes  one  and  sometimes 
the  other  appearing  to  have  the  better 
of  it.  I  was  almost  tired  out  when  my 
friend  offered  to  submit.  He  was  so 
sorry  over  the  trouble  that  he  went  to 
my  father  to  make  his  confession  to  him. 


24  A  Modern  Paul, 

My  father  came  to  me  immediately,  and, 
after  scolding  me  for  my  fault  in  the 
quarrel,  punished  me  severely.  He  tied 
me  to  a  stake  with  a  cord  holding  my 
hands  behind  my  back,  and  wrapped  my 
body  around  with  a  coarse  mat  of  straw. 
I  remained  two  hours  in  this  condition. 
I  must  confess  that  I  had  a  little  feeling 
against  my  father  for  this;  and  after  I 
was  set  at  liberty,  instead  of  going  into 
my  own  home  I  went  to  that  of  my  uncle 
which  was  near  by.  But  I  soon  repented 
and  went  home  and  took  dinner  with  my 
father.  He  treated  me  with  especial  kind- 
ness that  night  and  my  dissatisfaction 
soon  vanished. 

It  was  very  common  when  I  was  a  boy 
for  boys  to  fight  by  standing  at  some  little 
distance  from  each  other  and  throwing 
stones.  In  one  of  these  battles  I  was  hit 
upon  the  upper  lip.  When  I  went  home 
to  my  dinner  my  lip  was  badly  swollen 
and  was  very  painful.  I  told  nobody 
about  the  matter,  and  though  my  father 


Sawayama's  Youth.  25 

must  have  noticed  the  condition  of  my 
face  he  seemed  willing  to  let  me  take  my 
swollen  lip  as  my  punishment  and  said 
nothing. 

I  was  punished  only  twice  by  my  father. 
One  occasion  was  that  which  I  have 
already  described ;  on  the  other,  my  father 
beat  me  about  the  head  with  a  short  stick 
because  I  was  stupid  in  my  study. 

Our  chief  negative  commandments 
were :  do  not  lie ;  do  not  steal ;  do  not 
covet.  And  the  training  which  we  re- 
ceived in  the  keeping  of  these  was  con- 
stant and  emphatic.  I  remember  my 
father  sending  me  on  an  errand  to  a 
store  at  a  distance  of  a  mile  or  more. 
I  made  my  purchase,  paid  the  money, 
received  the  change  and  returned  home. 
When  I  gave  the  change  to  m}^  father  he 
noticed  that  the  storekeeper  had  given 
me  back  one  rin  (one  tenth  of  a  cent) 
too  much.  I  was  ordered  to  take  the  one 
rin  back  immediately.  The  impression 
was  thus  forced  through  my  legs  into  my 


26  A  Modern  Paul 

mind  that  my  father  was  exceedingly 
careful  over  what  seemed  like  a  very 
little  thing. 

The  following  case  will  also  show  the 
reader  to  what  a  degree  the  hatred  of 
dishonesty  was  carried.  A  schoolmate  of 
Mr.  Sawayama's  had  stolen  a  stick  of 
Japanese  ink  from  his  friend's  box.  He 
was  found  out.  All  the  students  gathered 
at  once  around  a  pond ;  they  threw  the 
thief  into  the  water;  many  threw  stones 
at  him ;  and  if  he  climbed  up  to  the  shore 
they  pushed  him  into  the  water  again  and 
again  until  the  poor  fellow  was  almost 
dead;  then  he  was  dismissed  from  the 
school. 

"We  were  taught  that  if  we  spoke  a  lie 
we  would  receive  punishment  from  God 
in  this  world,  and  in  the  next  world  our 
tongues  would  be  cut  out  of  our  mouths. 
When  I  was  ten  years  old  I  went  one  day 
up  a  sacred  mountain  to  worship  a  god. 
I  was  told  that  if  anyone  had  told  a  lie  in 
the  past  time  he  would  be  caught  by  the 


Sawayama^s  Youth,  27 

bellrope  of  the  temple  and  would  not  be 
able  to  loose  himself  from  it.  I  was 
frightened  and  examined  my  heart  pretty 
carefully. 

I  will  say  in  a  word  how  we  were 
taught  to  examine  our  hearts  and  to 
keep  our  consciences  active.  When  I  was 
tempted  to  sin  in  the  darkness,  I  repeated 
these  words :  "  Heaven  knows,  and  I 
know,  and  earth  knows ;  I  cannot  escape 
from  the  net  of  heaven ;  there  is  nothing 
more  visible  than  what  is  secret,  and 
nothing  more  manifest  than  what  is 
minute ;  therefore  the  superior  man  is 
watchful  over  himself  when  he  is  alone." 

Such  precepts  as  the  following  were 
helpful  in  our  efforts  to  examine  our- 
selves, and  repent  of  our  faults :  "  I  daily 
examine  myself  on  three  points ;  whether 
in  transacting  business  for  others  I  may 
have  been  unfaithful ;  whether  in  inter- 
course with  friends  I  may  have  been  in- 
sincere ;  whether  I  have  mastered  and 
practiced  the  instruction  of  my  teachers." 


28  A  Modern  Paul 

"  When  you  have  faults,  do  not  fear  to 
abandon  them."  "  I  have  faults  —  to  re- 
fuse to  reform  them,  this  should  be  pro- 
nounced the  greatest  fault." 

The  first  duty  of  the  day  was  to  wor- 
ship the  gods.  In  the  morning  I  used  to 
worship  the  god  of  heaven  and  earth,  the 
god  of  water,  the  god  of  the  mountain, 
the  god  of  the  clan.  This  I  did  standing 
outside  the  house.  Then  coming  in  I 
worshiped  the  spirits  of  my  ancestors  and 
the  god  of  the  household.  We  had  not 
only  gods  of  agriculture,  medicine,  etc., 
but  a  god  to  care  for  each  particular  mem- 
ber of  a  man's  body;  such  as  a  god  of 
eyes,  a  god  of  teeth,  etc.  In  all,  we 
believed  in  several  thousand  gods. 

But  we  regarded  the  God  of  heaven  as 
the  king  of  all  the  gods  and  the  ruler  of 
all  things.  But  of  course  the  idea  of 
God  was  very  dim ;  we  conceived  of  the 
invisible  world  of  gods  or  spirits  as  an 
organized  society,  like  human  society. 
As  a  king  has  many  officers,  so  there  are 


Sawayama^s  Youth,  29 

many  gods  of  every  kind  and  degree,  all 
doing  the  bidding  and  performing  the 
work  of  the  God  of  heaven.  We  thought 
of  the  spirits  of  these  Gods  as  scattered 
throughout  nature,  and  as  having  their 
individual  dwelling-places  in  various  ob- 
jects, such  as  the  sun,  the  moon,  the 
temple,  the  idol.  « 

The  chief  influence  of  my  early  re- 
ligious life  came  from  the  death  of  my 
mother,  which  occurred  when  I  was  six 
years  old.  After  I  lost  my  mother  my 
first  serious  question  was:  Is  there  a 
heaven  in  the  future,  or  will  the  human 
life  be  blotted  out  as  the  light  of  a  candle 
disappears?  One  day,  having  pondered 
this  question  a  great  deal,  I  proposed  it 
to  a  woman  who  answered  me :  "  No ; 
there  are  no  such  things  in  the  future ; 
heaven  and  hell  are  all  in  this  world.  If 
you  are  in  misery,  you  are  in  hell,  and  if 
you  are  happy,  that  is  heaven." 

I  was  not  satisfied  with  tMs  reply.  I 
could   not   be    content    to   think    that    I 


30  A  Modern  Paul, 

should  not  see  my  mother  again ;  nor  did 
it  seem  to  me  that  on  such  a  hypothesis 
my  own  life  was  other  than  a  vain  thing, 
though  I  should  learn  ever  so  much  and 
store  up  for  myself  all  the  writers  of  the 
Japanese  ideal  of  life.  My  anxiety  over 
this  problem  led  me  often  to  inquire  of 
scholars,  or  of  the  priests  of  Shintoism  or 
Buddhism  ;  and  though  almost  all  of  them 
believed  in  heaven  and  hell,  I  was  never 
entirely  satisfied  with  their  answer. 

When  I  had  reached  the  age  of  about 
thirteen,  the  western  sciences,  history, 
philosophy,  and  mathematics  were  im- 
ported into  my  native  town.  The  new 
truths  which  came  to  me  through  these 
channels  made  a  deep  impression  upon 
me.  I  saw  the  foolishness  of  worshiping 
idols  and  abandoned  it  immediately. 
Having  as  yet  nothing  in  its  stead  I  was 
entirely  nonreligious  for  a  long  time. 
But  having  read  the  story  of  creation  in 
the  Westei*n  History,  I  tried  one  even- 
ing to  worship  the  heavenly  God ;  but  my 


Sawayama^s  Youth.  31 

heart  and  my  mind  were  full  of  doubts 
and  fears.  I  had  this  hope,  however; 
that  probably  the  Western  nations  had 
discovered  the  true  religion,  since  they 
had  found  out  so  many  truths  concerning 
philosophy  and  science.  Soon  I  came 
upon  my  great  opportunity  to  hear  about 
Christianity;  for  Mr.  Sawayama  had 
returned  from  America  with  the  Chris- 
tian faith.  As  soon  as  I  heard  of  his 
return  I  called  upon  him  and  asked  him 
the  many  questions  which  had  so  long 
been  troubling  me.  He  answered  me 
very  earnestly,  clearly,  and  wisely.  My 
eyes  were  opened  at  once  to  a  new  world, 
and  I  became  a  Christian. 

From  this  time  to  the  time  of  his  death 
I  was  working  almost  constantly  with  Mr. 
Sawayama.  I  seem  to  myself  to  know  his 
life  almost  as  well  as  I   know  my  own. 


CHAPTER  II. 
sawayama's  conversion. 


R.  SAWAYAMA  had  from  his 
childhood  been  fond  of  study, 
and  had  at  different  times  at- 
tended the  best  schools  in  his  native 
province.  In  1868,  when  he  had  reached 
the  age  of  seventeen,  a  great  crisis  oc- 
curred in  Japanese  affairs.  In  the  rev- 
olution against  Bakufu'^  Mr.  Sawayama's 
province  was  attacked  by  the  Bakufu 
troops.  Mr.  Sawayama  did  brave  service 
in  defending  the  frontier  of  his  province 
from  the  hostile  incursion  of  the  enemy. 
At  the  close  of  the  civil  war  he  again 
gave  himself  to  study,  and  attended  the 

1  Bahufu  was  the  technical  name  of  the  government  of 
the  Shoguu  or  Dictator.  The  family  of  the  Shogun  had 
usurped  the  temporal  power  of  the  Mikado  or  Emperor,  and 
had  ruled  with  its  capital  at  Yedo  for  over  two  hundred  and 
fifty  years.  In  1868  a  revolutionary  war  opened.  The  effect 
of  this  was  to  strip  the  Shogun  of  his  power  and  restore  to 
the  Mikado  his  authority.  The  capital  was  fixed  at  Yedo, 
the  name  of  which  was  changed  to  Tokyo. 


Sawayama's  Conversion,  33 

most  famous  schools  of  Japan.  He  not 
only  studied  theories,  but  his  whole  ten- 
dency was  to  make  his  knowledge  prac- 
tical. 

When  he  was  a  boy  he  listened  to  a 
lecture  on  the  sennin.  And  he  was  so 
impressed  that  he  aspired  to  become  a 
sennin.i  When  Mr.  Sawayama  returned 
home  from  the  school  he  told  his  parents 
that  he  wanted  to  visit  a  friend  and  went 
away.  Instead,  however,  he  ascended  a 
mountain  and  stayed  there  several  days 
hoping  to  become  a  sennin.  When  he 
got  hungry  he  subsisted  upon  wild  fruits 
or  roots  of  plants,  and  sometimes  he  went 
down  to  the  country  and  begged  food  from 
farmers,  and  then  returned  to  the  moun- 
tain again.  But  he  was  unsuccessful  in 
these  attempts,  of  course;  so  he  lost  all 
hope  of  becoming  a  sennin  and  returned 
home.     This   incident   shows   his   intense 

1  Sennin  was  the  name  given  to  an  imaginary  being,  sup- 
posed to  be  more  than  a  mere  man.  It  denoted  a  being 
something  like  an  angel  who  had  been  transformed  from  a 
man  by  extraordinary  physical  and  mental  exercises. 


34  A  Modern  Paul. 

nature  and  his  determination  to  realize 
his  ideals. 

At  one  time  he  heard  about  a  certain 
Master  Shuyo  Foshimura,  of  Shikoku, 
who  was  famous  not  only  for  his  knowl- 
edge of  the  teachings  of  Confucius,  but 
also  for  the  consistency  of  his  life  as  a 
Confucianist.  Mr.  Sawayama  went  to 
him  to  become  his  disciple,  and  in  time 
mastered  the  ethics  and  philosophy  of  the 
great  sage  of  China. 

Civil  commotions  again  threatened  to 
arise,  and  Mr.  Sawayama  was  put  at 
the  head  of  a  band  of  soldiers  and  en- 
trusted with  the  responsibility  of  sup- 
pressing riots.  When  peace  was  again 
restored,  his  old  enthusiasm  for  study 
as  quickly  returned,  and  he  formed  a 
plan  for  studying  Western  civilization. 
With  this  in  view  he  went  to  Kob^, 
where  he  studied  English  with  Rev.  D. 
C.  Greene,  d.d.,  the  first  Japanese  mis- 
sionary of  the  American  Board.  In  1872 
he  came  to  America. 


8awayama^s  Conversion,  35 

Concerning  his  student  life  in  America, 
Mrs.  M.  C.  Wise,  who  was  his  instructor  at 
Evanston,  says  in  The  Pacific  Advocate  ; 

There  is  a  tradition  among  Sawayama's  coun- 
trymen that  anyone  in  the  interior  desiring 
more  light  or  knowledge  must  go  for  it  to  the 
coast.  Of  course  the  sea  coast  inhabitants  do 
possess  greater  advantages  for  obtaining  infor- 
mation. This  was  especially  the  case  at  that 
time,  when  missionaries  were  not  admitted  to 
the  interior. 

Sawayama  found  his  way  to  the  coast,  a 
pilgrim  in  search  of  knowledge ;  and  though  he 
knew  it  not  —  in  search  of  God.  Reaching  the 
coast  he  told  his  errand,  and  was  pointed  to  a 
little  house  on  the  hill.  Here  he  found  a  mis- 
sionary (Dr.  D.  C.  Greene).  The  good  man 
took  Sawayama  into  his  family  and  told  him  the 
story  of  the  cross.  T*hen  it  was  that  he  was 
converted .  Though  he  did  not  make  a  profession 
till  sometime  later,  yet  after  he  came  to  America 
and  his  mind  became  more  and  more  enlight- 
ened and  he  learned  more  of  spiritual  things 
he  seemed  conscious  that  the  work  was  wrought 
for  him  in  Japan. 

Sawayama  had  not  resided  long  in  his  new 
home  ere  the  missionary  discovered  him  to  be  a 


36  A  Modern  Paul 

young  man  of  extraordinary  qualities  of  mind 
and  heart.  The  good  man  wrote  to  friends  in 
America  and  secured,  in  the  family  of  his  own 
brother,  a  home  for  the  youth.  All  was  di- 
rected by  a  divine  hand,  and  his  home  was  in 
Evanston,  111.,  the  seat  of  the  Northwestern 
University  and  Garrett  Biblical  Institute. 
Where  could  there  be  a  more  fitting  home  for 
such  a  mind  and  heart? 

He  came  to  America  in  1872.  It  was  that 
fall  that  I  first  met  him.  It  was  a  pleasure 
to  meet  the  manly,  bright-faced,  fine-looking 
youth  as  he  passed  to  and  fro  from  the  school- 
room, and  respond  to  his  low  bow  and  courteous 
salutations. 

Sawayama's  teachers  were  full  of  enthusi- 
asm. No  scholar  in  the  school  was  so  quiet  and 
orderly;  there  was  none  who  learned  more 
rapidly.  Two  years  later  I  had  the  honor  to 
be  for  a  time  his  instructor.  I  can  see  him  now 
as  he  used  to  stand  at  the  board  during  mathe- 
matics. There  were  earnest  pupils,  but  no  face 
wore  so  earnest  a  look  as  his.  I  remember  the 
look  of  perplexity  that  used  to  cross  his  face  if 
someone  was  found  inattentive  or  unprepared. 
I  think  he  never  understood  how  an  eternity- 
bound  soul  could  so  waste  the  precious  moments 
of  its  probation  here. 


Sawayama's  Conversion.  37 

Sawayama  was  nearly  always  the  first  to  turn 
from  the  board  with  beaming  face  and  upraised 
hand  to  announce  the  completion  of  his  work. 
His  tongue,  so  lately  accustomed  to  our  speech, 
was  all  too  slow  for  his  rapid  thoughts. 

Meanwhile  his  Christian  character  had 
been  developing  rapidly ;  but  he  had  as 
yet  no  conviction  that  it  was  his  duty 
to  become  a  preacher.  Nor  did  this  con- 
viction come  to  him  for  some  consider- 
able time.  His  enthusiasm  for  Japan 
took  as  yet  the  more  general  form  of 
patriotism. 

Mr.  L.  H.  Boutell  wrote  about  Mr. 
Sawayama  to  this  writer  as  follows :  — 

Chicago,  June  1,  1892. 
Mr.  J.  Naruse:  — 

Dear  Sir, —  The  last  three  years  of  his  resi- 
dence here  he  spent  in  my  family.  During  his 
first  three  years  in  this  country,  he  devoted  him- 
self to  general  studies,  with  the  expectation  I 
think,  of  entering  governmental  service  on  his 
return  to  Japan.  About  a  year  before  he  left 
us,  one  of  the  Japanese  missionaries,  Mr.  H.  H. 
Leavitt,  visited  us  and  urged  him  to  prepare 


38  A  Modern  FauL 

himself  for  missionary  work  in  Japan.  He 
especially  impressed  upon  him  the  need  for 
Christian  labors  in  Japan  at  that  time. 

The  result  of  this  conversation  was  that  Mr. 
Sawayama  decided  to  devote  himself  to  Bible 
study  for  a  year  and  then  to  become  a  preacher 
of  Christianity  to  his  countrymen.  His  Bible 
studies  were  pursued  under  the  direction  of 
Rev.  E.  N.  Packard,  d.d.i  It  was  at  this  time 
that  he  took  the  name  Paul,  and  in  his  thorough 
consecration  to  his  work  he  proved  himself  not 
unworthy  of  the  name. 

When  he  decided  to  devote  his  life  to  preach- 
ing the  gospel  among  his  countrymen,  his  spirit 
seemed  elevated  and  quickened  by  the  nobility 
of  his  work.  He  had  a  consuming  zeal  for  his 
Master's  service.  In  his  consecration  to  that 
service,  his  heroic  self-sacrifice,  his  sensitive 
conscientiousness,  and  the  childlike  simplicity 
of  his  faith,  he  seemed  to  have  caught  the  spirit 
of  the  apostolic  age. 

What  most  impressed  me,  on  my  first  ac- 
quaintance with  him,  was  the  exquisite  refine- 
ment of  his  manners.  It  was  not  a  mere  sur- 
face politeness,  but  sprang  from  a  desire  to  be 
of  service  to  others.  I  do  not  wonder  that  he 
had  such  an  influence  among  his  countrymen, 

^Now  of  Syracuse,  N.  Y. 


Sawayama^s  Conversion.  39 

for  here,  among'  ourselves,  he  won  the  love  of 
all.  I  am,  yours  truly, 

L.  H.  BOUTELL. 

The  writer  heard  from  Mr.  Sawayama 
the  following  account  of  this  experience : 

One  day,  I  suppose  a  little  after  the 
interview  with  Mr.  Leavitt,  he  had  been 
reading  the  biography  of  some  Christian 
missionary,  and  the  thought  seemed  to 
come  to  him  almost  as  a  revelation,  that 
the  need  of  Japan  was  the  preaching  of 
the  Gospel.  He  thought  much,  and  more 
and  more  the  conviction  grew  and  strength- 
ened within  him  that  the  darkness  which 
covered  Japanese  society  with  so  many 
sorrows  and  sins  in  its  shadow,  could 
never  be  effectually  dissipated  except  by 
the  power  of  Christianity ;  and  who  could 
be  called  of  God  to  preach  to  Japan,  if 
not  himself?  He  said  to  his  awakened 
heart :  "  The  people  of  foreign  countries 
have  sacrificed  their  lives  to  be  mission- 
aries to  Japan,  how  can  I  see  the  condi- 
tion of  my  own  people  so  indifferently  ? " 


40  A  Modern  Paul 

He  decided  to  proclaim  upon  the  house- 
tops what  he  had  heard  in  the  ear. 

The  following  letter  from  Rev.  E.  N. 
Packard,  d.d.,  to  the  writer,  tells  more 
about  Mr.  Sawayama's  wtudy  and  other 
Christian  characteristics :  — 

Syracuse,  N.  Y.,  July  9,  1892. 
Mr.  J.  Naruse:  — 

Dear  Brothe7\  —  Sawayama  first  appeared  in 
the  family  of  Mr.  L.  H.  Boutell,  in  Evanston, 
where  I  was  pastor  of  the  First  Congregational 
Church,  and  came  to  church  with  them  and 
entered  the  Sunday-school  more  to  learn  our 
language  than  to  become  a  disciple.  But  soon 
he  became  interested  for  himself,  and  in  due 
time  declared  his  faith  in  Christ.  It  was  with 
great  joy  that  I  received  him  into  the  church 
and  administered  baptism  to  him,  my  first  ex- 
perience in  baptizing  a  foreign-born  man.i 

After  this  he  began  to  take  part  in  our  prayer 
meetings,  now  and  then.    He  spoke,  of  course, 

iMrs.  M.  C.  Wise  says:  "When  Sawayama  left  Japan, 
his  father  was  required  to  give  bonds  to  the  effect  that  Sawa- 
yama should  not  change  his  religion.  When  he  came  to 
make  a  public  profession  here  he  was  asked  if  he  did  not 
fear  his  father  would  suffer  on  account  of  the  bonds  he  had 
given.  Sawayama  replied:  'The  Lord  will  take  care  of 
that.'    And  his  faith  was  houored." 


Sawayama^s  Conversion,  41 

very  imperfect  English,  but  his  words  had  a 
peculiar  power  about  them,  as  if  sent  by  the 
Spirit.  I  remember  how  one  of  our  young 
men  said  that  that  foreign-born  and  poorly 
educated  young  man  put  to  shame  those  who 
had  been  having  every  advantage. 

After  a  while  he  began  to  think  of  the  minis- 
try to  his  own  countrymen,  and  talked  with  me 
about  it.  He  was  then  in  the  preparatory  de- 
partment of  the  Northwestern  University,  and 
had  several  years  of  work  laid  out.  But  some- 
thing seemed  to  impress  him  with  the  idea  that 
the  time  was  short.  Against  the  judgment  of 
Mr.  Boutell  and  others  of  us  he  decided  to  press 
for  a  preparation  for  the  ministry  at  once,  and 
I  arranged  with  him  to  come  to  my  study  from 
time  to  time  and  to  talk  over  the  Christian 
scheme.  We  used  as  a  textbook  Hodge's  Way 
of  Life,  and  it  proved  to  be  an  excellent  book 
for  the  purpose.  He  became  attracted  to  Paul 
and  his  theology,  and  took  the  name  of  Paul  for 
this  reason.  After  weeks  of  study  and  confer- 
ence he  suddenly  seemed  to  come  out  into  light 
and  to  receive  what  I  can  only  think  of  as  a 
''baptism  of  the  Holy  Spirit." 

His  idea  as  to  truth  clarified  suddenly,  and  he 
told  me  that  he  felt  confident  that  he  could  go 
and  meet  the  objections  which  his  friends  in 


42  A  Modern  Paul. 

Japan  might  bring  up.  Soon  after  this,  to  our 
surprise,  he  began  to  plan  to  get  back  to  his 
native  land,  and  his  persistence  and  faith  were 
remarkable.  I  used  to  say  that,  if  no  other 
way  would  offer,  Sawayama  would  take  an 
open  boat  and  row  across  the  Pacific  Ocean. 

After  obtaining  help  from  the  Japanese  Con- 
sul, at  New  York,  and  passes  from  Colonel 
Hammond,  for  a  part  at  least  of  the  railroad 
journey  to  San  Francisco,  he  bade  us  farewell 
and  we  never  saw  him  again.  Mr.  Sawayama 
returned  to  Japan  in  1876.  No  man  ever  went 
to  a  great  task  with  greater  enthusiasm. 

I  always  felt  a  strong  attraction  to  him,  for 
his  many  fine  qualities  and  for  something  inde- 
scribable which  was  the  indwelling  of  the  Spirit 
in  him.  He  had  clear  views  of  truth  which 
seemed  to  have  come  direct  from  the  source  of 
all  truth,  direct  to  him,  and  not  through  books. 
His  good  nature,  his  plain  and  simple  scheme  of 
living  for  Christ  were  a  life-long  lesson  and 
blessing  to  me.  Truly  yours, 

EDWAKD  N.  PACKARD. 

Mrs.  Wise  says  of  this  period  :  — 

After  he  yielded  to  the  conviction  that  it  was 
his  duty  to  go  back  and  labor  for  the  conversion 
of  his  people,  he  seemed  to  be  in  a  hurry.    His 


SawayamcC %  Conversion.  43 

pastor  asked  him  if  it  would  not  be  better  to 
remain  in  Evanston  a  while  longer,  where  he 
would  have  such  fine  opportunities  for  the 
study  of  theology,  as  well  as  other  branches  of 
learning,  and  be  more  thoroughly  prepared  for 
his  work.  His  reply  was:  "1  have  as  much 
learning  as  the  apostles  had."  He  felt  that  he 
must  go  quickly,  for  infidelity  was  gaining 
ground  in  his  country;  and  he  went  back  to  lift 
up  the  standard  of  the  cross. 


CHAPTER  III. 

sawayama's  ministry. 

jT  the  time  of  Sawayama's  return 
the  majority  of  the  Japanese 
people  hated  Christianity  "with 
perfect  hatred."  They  called  it  "  the  way 
of  the  devils."  Native  Christians  were 
subjected  to  various  modes  and  degrees  of 
persecution.  Some  lost  their  positions; 
some  were  disinherited  ;  many  practically 
were  deprived  of  those  social  privileges 
which  make  freedom  valuable.  It  was  a 
disgrace  for  a  family  to  have  a  Christian 
in  its  circle.  The  educated  believed  in  no 
religion ;  they  despised  the  native  priests 
and  hated  the  Christian  ministers. 

Of  the  few  Japanese  who  then  came  to 
America,  too  many  young  men  who  had 
been  converted  while  students  in  this 
country,  lost  their  Christianity  in  the 
ocean  as  they  returned  to   Japan.     This 


Sawayama^s  Ministry.  45 

is  a  lamentable  fact,  but  one  which  will 
not  be  too  severely  condemned  by  one 
who  knows  what  a  Japanese  Christian 
was  called  upon  to  endure  in  those  days. 
But  Mr.  Sawayama  came  back  to  his 
home  with  his  resolute,  devotional,  zealous 
Christian  spirit  undaunted.  But  in  an- 
other  respect  he  found  that  Christianity 
had  made  great  progress  in  Japan.  He 
says  in  his  letter  as  follows :  — 

Osaka,  Japan,  October  17,  1876. 
Eev.  Edward  Packard  :  — 

Dear  Friend^  —  When  I  reached  Yokohama 
I  found  all  the  features  of  the  city  and  people 
so  much  changed  from  what  I  used  to  see  five 
years  ago.  Many  streets  and  buildings  are  con- 
structed in  the  European  style,  and  the  govern- 
ment buildings  are,  of  course,  constructed  in 
fine  European  styles  in  all  plans.  Systems  of 
post  office  and  others  are  well  adapted  to  that  of 
Americans,  and  I  think  that  we  are  almost  as  con- 
venient in  most  cases  in  Japan  as  in  America. 
I  am  much  surprised  to  see  that  the  education  of 
Japan  is  very  much  progressed.  I  think  that 
the  degree  of  studies  in  our  colleges  and  high 


46  A  Modern  Paul. 

schools  is  as  high  as  common  American  colleges 
and  high  schools.  Once  I  visited  with  Mr. 
Nakahara,  while  I  was  staying  in  Tokyo,  a 
girls'  high  school,  and  it  was  the  examination 
day.  I  heard  a  few  classes.  They  were  in 
natural  philosophy,  arithmetic,  geometry,  etc., 
and  I  noticed  that  they  all  recited  quite  well. 
On  the  way  to  my  home  from  Yokohama,  I  was 
very  much  pleased  to  see  the  flags  on  the  poles, 
which  are  signs  of  public  schools.  They  were 
seen  here  and  there  in  every  town  and  village. 
The  schools  in  Japan  are  indeed  in  flourishing 
condition.  I  was  much  ashamed  to  have  found, 
when  I  reached  my  home,  that  my  brother 
knows  geography  and  arithmetic  better  than  I 
do. 

Above  all  things,  I  was  very  much  rejoiced  to 
have  found  the  advancement  of  Christian  reli- 
gion in  Japan.  Though  I  had  heard  a  good 
deal  about  the  success  of  the  missions  when  I 
was  in  America,  as  you  know,  I  was  hardly 
prepared  to  find  their  work  so  fully  arranged. 
I  met  most  of  the  brethren  in  Yokohama,  and 
I  was  requested  to  preach  at  Otamachi  Chapel, 
and  so  I  did.  This  chapel  is  situated  in  the  midst 
of  one  of  the  busiest  streets  in  this  city;  the 
people  crowd  to  hear  the  gospel  quietly.  I 
attended  several  Christian  meetings  in  this  city, 


Sawayama^s  Ministry,  47 

and  I  believe  that  all  the  brethren  are  earnest 
and  enthusiastic  workers  for  Christ,  and  I  en- 
joyed the  meeting  every  time.  I  found,  when 
I  went  to  Tokyo,  one  of  my  old  friends  had 
become  a  faithful  Christian. 

I  stayed  but  one  week  with  Mr.  Greene,  in 
Yokohama.  During  the  time,  I  had  a  very  joy- 
ful time  indeed,  and  then  I  sailed  to  Kob6  from 
Yokohama.  In  Kob6  I  did  not  stay  many  days, 
though  I  preached  once  in  the  chapel,  one  Sun- 
day, and  in  the  evening  I  was  invited  to  take 
tea  with  Miss  Talcot,  in  the  girl's  seminary, 
and  had  great  pleasure  in  meeting  with  the 
many  enthusiastic  girls  as  I  thought.  It  hap- 
pened that  I  was  in  at  the  time  of  their  evening 
prayer-meeting.  There  were  but  about  a  dozen 
girls,  as  most  of  the  students  were  gone  home 
for  the  vacation,  as  I  was  told.  They  prayed 
for  nearly  all  interests  of  the  world,  and  half 
dozen  or  more  girls  continued  to  pray  in  one 
kneeling. 

In  Osaka,  I  stayed  with  my  old  friend  Mr. 
Utsumi,  the  vice-governor  of  the  city,  and  I 
could  not  see  any  of  our  missionary  friends 
here,  as  they  were  then  all  gone  away  from 
the' city,  for  the  summer  vacation. 

From  Osaka,  straightway  I  went  to  my  home 
and  I  found  my  mother,   sister,   and  brother 


48  A  Modern  Paul. 

were  quite  well.  My  sister  and  brother  were 
gi'own  up  so  very  big  that  T  thought  I  should 
not  know  them  if  1  had  met  them  anywhere 
else  than  at  home;  but  my  father  looked 
v^ery  bad  as  he  has  been  very  sick.  They  were 
greatly  rejoiced  at  my  return  home,  after  a  very 
long  absence.  My  father  said:  '<  My  son,  now 
you  come  home,  so  my  sickness  will  be  better 
by  and  by  I  think."  When  I  told  them  the 
great  kindness  which  I  received  in  America  my 
parents  expressed  uttermost  gratefulness,  and 
wished  me  to  thank  for  them,  my  American 
friends,  through  my  pen.  My  father  said  he 
would  go  to  thank  you,  the  Evanston  friends, 
for  the  kindness,  if  America  were  not  such  a 
distant  land.  My  friends  at  home  heard  me  to 
speak  of  Christ,  with  much  interest.  Although 
I  did  not  see  an  actual  success  in  the  work  at 
home,  yet  I  hope  that  some  good  will  be  done 
for  their  unbelieving  hearts  by  the  talk  and  by 
the  religious  books  which  I  left  them. 

After  about  ten  days'  stay  at  home,  I  came 
back  to  this  city ;  although  my  parents  wished 
me  to  stay  at  home  all  the  time  and  not  go  away 
from  them  any  more,  yet  I  felt  that  I  better 
come  here  to  work.  As  my  father  is  quite  sick, 
I  am  anxious  about  him  very  much,  while  I  stay 
here,  and  I  hope  that  I  may  visit  home  as  often 


Sawayama  s  Ministry.  49 

as  I  can,  but  it  is  difficult  to  go  liome  often,  for 
many  reasons. 

Please  give  my  Christian  love  to  your  family 
and  to  all  my  friends  in  Evanston,  both  young 
and  old.  Tell  that  I  am  thinking  about  them  all 
the  time,  and  hope  to  be  friends  with  them  con- 
tinually in  this  life  and  the  next  too.  Hoping 
you  will  always  be  successful  in  your  works, 
and  may  God  bless  you, 

Yours  affeciionately, 

P.  U.  SAWAYAMA. 

His  parents  were  quite  disappointed 
that  Mr.  Sawayama  was  converted  to 
Christianity,  though  they  were  very  glad 
of  his  safe  return  home.  But  Mr.  Sa- 
wayama merely  waited,  and  with  great 
patience,  for  the  conversion  of  his  parents. 
He  had  a  profound  filial  love  for  them, 
and  wherever  it  did  not  involve  a  com- 
promise of  his  Christian  principles  he  ac- 
commodated his  life  to  their  wishes. 

As  an  instance  of  this  disposition  to- 
wards his  parents  I  will  mention  a  little 
incident  which  occurred  during  a  sickness 
of  his  father  :  — 


50  A  Modern  Paul. 

Mr.  Sawayama  had  become  accustomed 
while  in  America  to  the  cold  sponge  baths 
which  are  so  invigorating  to  begin  the  day 
with,  and  he  disliked  exceedingly  to  dip  his 
weak  body,  for  he  was  by  no  means  strong, 
into  the  hot  water  of  the  Japanese  baths. 
This  contempt,  for  so  he  deemed  it,  of 
Japanese  customs,  displeased  his  father 
greatly,  and  he  in  return  refused  to  take 
some  medicine  which  Mr.  Sawa3^ama  was 
sure  would  be  very  beneficial  to  him. 

"  You  refuse  to  take  a  hot  bath  and  I 
will  not  take  your  medicine,"  said  he. 

Mr.  Sawayama  answered  immediately, 
"  Father,  take  the  medicine,  please ;  I  will 
take  the  hot  bath." 

In  many  such  ways  he  sought  to  serve 
his  parents,  though  it  might  be  at  the  ex- 
pense of  his  own  comfort. 

But  he  could  not  stay  longer  at  home. 
He  removed  to  Osaka  city  to  begin  his 
work  there.  No  matter  how  busy  he 
might  be  —  and  he  was  very  busy  —  and 
no  matter  how  completely  his   attention 


Sawayama's  Ministry,  51 

and  sympathies  were  engrossed  in  the 
work  of  his  ministry,  he  never  neglected 
to  write  to  his  parents,  to  send  them  good 
books  and  to  pray  for  them.  It  was  not 
long  before  his  whole  family  was  con- 
verted to  Christianity. 

As  Mr.  Sawayama's  clan  had  ardently 
championed  the  cause  of  the  Mikado  it 
had  come  out  of  the  revolution  with  great 
eclat.  Many  of  his  friends  had  important 
and  honorable  positions  in  the  new  govern- 
ment which  had  lately  been  established. 
A  new  civilization  was  dawning  in  Japan. 
The  government,  quick  to  appreciate  the 
needs  and  the  opportunities  of  the  hour, 
sought  to  secure  the  ablest  men  for  their 
service.  Those  who  had  studied  in  civil- 
ized countries  and  might  thus  be  supposed 
to  have  the  spirit  of  Western  civilization 
were  in  especial  requisition.  Every  in- 
ducement was  offered  in  the  way  of 
salaries. 

Those  friends  of  Mr.  Sawayama  who 
held  government  positions  brought   their 


52  A  Modern  Paul 

influence  to  bear  upon  him  to  induce  him 
to  accept  one.  They  knew  his  ability,  but 
they  did  not  know  his  Christian  constancy. 
"  Counting  the  reproach  of  Christ  greater 
riches  than  the  treasures  "  of  this  world, 
he  chose  "  rather  to  be  evil-entreated  with 
the  people  of  God."  Finding  a  little 
band  of  eleven  despised  Christians  he 
promised  to  be  their  pastor. 

The  self-sacrifice  of  this  act  becomes 
more  apparent  when  it  is  remembered  that 
such  a  governmental  position  as  was  of- 
fered to  Mr.  Sawayama  would  have  paid 
him  from  the  beginning  one  hundred  and 
fifty  dollars  ^  a  month,  while  his  little  con- 
gregation could  pay  him  but  seven  dollars. 
It  became  still  more  apparent  when  it 
is  added  that  Mr.  Sawayama  was  in  debt 
to  his  father  and  his  friends  for  a  con- 
siderable part  of  his  education,  and  was 
in  such  physical  condition  as  to  require 
for   his    comfort   many    things    which   he 


1  Equivalent  in  purchasing  power  to  $8,000  or  $9,000  per 
year  in  the  United  States. 


Sawayamd' s  Ministry.  53 

could  not  at  such  a  meager  salary  ever 
hope  to  have.  But  he  said  to  himself 
"If  any  man  will  seek  first  the  kingdom 
of  God  and  his  righteousness,"  all  these 
things  will  be  added  unto  him,  and  he 
received  with  simplicity  and  sincerest 
gratitude  the  seven  dollars  of  his  salary. 
The  abundance  which  the  government 
might  have  given  him  he  cared  not  for. 
His  fellow-Christians  out  of  their  poverty 
had  freely  given  unto  him,  and  he  was 
very  happy. 

From  the  beginning  Mr.  Sawayama 
held  very  firmly  to  the  principle  that 
Japanese  Christianity  should  be  self-sup- 
porting. His  aim  was  to  found  a  living 
Japanese  church ;  to  put  within  it  such  a 
spirit  of  growth  and  independence  as 
should  set  it  free  from  its  slavish,  feeble 
condition ;  to  make  it  a  permanent  power 
by  the  force  of  its  own  religious  life. 
This  he  thought  should  be  the  aim  of 
every  Japanese  Christian. 

I  suppose  this  principle  of  self-support 


54  A  Modem  Paul. 

Mr.  Sawayama  received  from  Rev.  H.  H. 
Leavitt  at  Evanston  when  they  conversed 
with  each  other  ;  and  it  had  grown  up  to  be 
his  ideal  scheme  of  mission  work  in  Japan. 
What  did  Mr.  Sawayama  mean  by  self- 
support  for  Japanese  churches  ?  This 
question  will  be  answered  in  his  own 
words  later,  in  the  speech  he  delivered  at 
the  great  conference  ;  but  here  I  may  say 
that  he  meant  that  the  Japanese  churches 
should  pay  their  own  expenses,  meeting 
all  the  expenditures  required  for  home 
missionary  work,  for  Christian  education, 
and  for  church  benevolences,  without  re- 
ceiving pecuniary  aid  for  these  purposes 
from  foreign  missionary  societies.  Those 
societies  of  course  should  continue  to 
support  their  own  missionaries.  This  pro- 
gram proved  a  very  difficult  task  for  such 
poor  bodies  as  the  Japanese  churches : 
so  almost  all  of  the  native  Christians, 
except  his  church,  and  many  foreign 
missionaries,  could  not  approve  of  his  new 
scheme  at  that  time. 


Sawayama^s  Ministrif,  55 

But  Mr.  Sawayama  had  a  rare  insight 
into  the  condition  of  the  time  and  future 
of  Japan.  There  were  a  few  Japanese 
Christian  churches  and  Christian  schools 
at  that  early  day,  but  they  had  been 
started  by  means  of  foreign  funds  and 
were  managed  by  the  missionaries.  The 
vast  majority  of  the  Japanese  people  were 
intensely  prejudiced  against  them  because 
they  seemed  to  be  in  reality  foreign 
churches  and  foreign  schools.  They  also 
thought  that  the  foreigners  propagated 
their  leligion  by  the  lavish  use  of  money. 
Quite  often  the  native  Christians  were 
asked  if  they  received  money  from  for- 
eigners in  (n'der  to  become  Christians. 
Sometimes  these  haters  of  Christianity 
called  the  Christians  beggars  because  they 
depended  upon  foreign  funds,  and  accused 
them  of  disloyalty  to  their  own  country. 
It  must  *  be  confessed  that  the  native 
Christians  showed  a  strong  tendency  to 
rely  upon  the  financial  aid  of  foreigners 
in   every  department   of  Christian  work. 


56  A  Modern  Paul 

They  seemed  to  entertain  the  feeling  that 
they  were  the  guests  of  the  universal 
Christian  Church,  and  as  such  were  en- 
titled to  free  entertainment,  as  Mr.  Sawa- 
yama  said  in  his  famous  speech.  In  such 
circumstances  there  was  great  need  of  in- 
sistence upon  the  j^rinciple  of  self-support. 
And  there  is  no  question  that  Mr.  Sawa- 
yama's  persistence  in  advocating  that 
principle  gave  to  the  Japanese  church  its 
strength  and  aggressiveness. 

In  1877  Mr.  Sawayama  was  ordained  by 
Mr.  Neesima  and  a  company  of  mission- 
aries, over  the  Naniwa  Church  in  Osaka, 
which  had  eleven  members.  Mr.  Sawa- 
yama was  thus  the  first  man  to  be  estab- 
lished as  pastor  over  a  Japanese  church. 

Just  before  his  ordination  he  wrote 
Mrs.  Boutell,  about  his  work  in  Osaka,  as 

follows :  — 

« 

Osaka,  Japan,  January  8,  1877. 

Dear  Mrs.  Boutell,  —  The  climate  in  this  city 

is  milder  than  most  of  the   places  in  Japan 

in  the  same  latitude.    We  have  had  oniy  very 


Sawayama^s  Ministry,  57 

little  snow  for  several  days,  this  winter.  My 
,  health  is  improving  all  the  time,  though  I  have 
more  or  less  cough  day  and  night. 

As  I  wrote  you  last  time,  I  have  still  my  Sun- 
day-school, and  preaching  service  at  Dr.  Adams' 
dispensary,  which  Is  situated  on  the  corner  of 
two  flourishing  streets  in  the  city.  Both  audi- 
ences and  power  are  increasing  in  our  services 
in  this  place  with  wonderful  success.  I  have  no 
doubt  that  God  helps  us  with  great  power  to 
convert  the  people  of  this  great  city. 

Some  gentlemen  from  Sanda  (the  place  of 
which  you  heard  so  much),  who  live  in  the 
drug  store  just  in  front  of  the  dispensary  build- 
ing, told  me  the  other  day  that  they  have  heard 
much  about  '^this  way"  in  Kobe  and  Sanda; 
but  they  did  not  study  deeply  about  this  way 
although  they  did  not  think  badly  of  it.  Since 
they  came  to  live  in  the  drug  store,  they  could 
come  regularly  to  hear  our  preaching  and  study 
the  Bible  in  our  Sunday-school,  and  so  the  truths 
of  Christianity  impressed  deeply  their  hearts. 
One  of  them  said  to  me  with  repented  expres- 
sion in  his  face,  that  he  believes  now  there  is 
one  Almighty  God  in  the  universe  and  he  is  a 
great  sinner  toward  him,  which  he  did  not  be- 
lieve before,  and  he  is  going  to  receive  baptism 
and  join  the  Kobe  church  as  soon  as  he  shall  go 


58  A  Modern  Paul, 

back  to  Kobe.  Now  they  are  diligently  study- 
ing the  Bible  with  me  in  the  Sunday-school,  and 
in  my  room. 

One  of  the  higher  officers  of  the  Osaka  gov- 
ernment, who  is  my  very  old  friend,  is  diligently 
studying  the  Bible  with  me  on  Sunday  and  on 
evenings,  and  I  think  that  he  will  become  a  Chris- 
tian by  and  by,  though  he  told  me  the  other  day 
that  he  would  not  be  baptized  at  present,  because 
he  is  an  officer,  but  he  would  study  the  Bible  all 
the  time,  and  help  Christianity  as  much  as  he 
could  in  his  power.  But  I  hope  that  he  won't 
say  very  soon  <*  I  will  not  be  baptized  because  I 
am  an  officer." 

The  vice-governor  of  the  city,  who  is  also  my 
most  intimate  friend,  is  an  intelligent  and  kind- 
nearted  man.  Though  he  does  not  care  to  know 
about  Christianity,  he  does  not  make  any  trouble 
for  us,  I  think.  When  I  asked  him  if  he  would 
not  study  the  Bible  with  me,  he  answered  me 
that  he  has  so  much  to  do  all  the  time  and  has 
no  time  for  such  a  study.  As  I  go  to  his  house 
most  every  day,  I  talked  about  this  way  to  his 
wife  and  she  gladly  hears  the  truth.  She  has 
bought  "Peep  of  the  Day,"  and  is  interested 
in  it  very  much.  I  made  the  Christmas  present 
to  the  vice-governor  and  his  wife  with  "  Evi- 
dences   of   Christianity "    and    '^  Gospel "   and 


Sawayama's  Ministry,  59 

other  religious  books,  and  they  thanked  me 
very  much.  Their  son  and  servants  come  to 
hear  me  to  preach  sometimes. 

It  seems  to  me  that  God's  own  good  time  has 
come  to  impress  powerfully  the  gospel  truth 
into  men's  hearts  here  in  this  city.  Christian 
light  is  in  the  state  of  the  rising  sun,  and  shining 
brighter  and  brighter  in  the  dark  land. 

Last  month  I  asked  the  vice-governor,  who 
had  just  returned  from  Tokyo,  what  is  the  most 
flourishing  thing  in  Tokyo.  He  answered  me 
that  the  most  flourishing  thing  is  Christianity 
and  most  declining  thing  is  drinking.  I  thought 
this  answer  was  not  untruth,  and  we  must 
rejoice  for  it  and  work  for  Christ  more 
earnestly. 

Yesterday  was  the  communion  Sunday  and 
Osaka  church  received  thirteen  members  by 
confession  of  faith  and  one  by  letter  and  bap- 
tized two  children  of  believing  parents.  About 
five  more  persons  are  waiting  to  be  baptized  to 
join  the  new  church  which  will  be  formed  within 
a  few  weeks  I  think,  and  of  which  I  will  be 
the  pastor  if  God  will. 

There  are  now  a  great  many  other  preaching 
places  in  this  city.  Dr.  Yamamoto,  who  is  one 
of  our  most  distinguished  physicians,  has  in- 
vited us  to  preach  in  his  private  hospital.    One 


60  A  Modern  Paul 

preaching  place  is  in  Shinmachi  Street  which 
was  a  most  noted  prostitution  den;  another  in 
Houden  and  many  other  places.  .  .  . 

Give  my  love  to  all  your  household  and  all 
my  friends  both  in  Evanston  and  in  Chicago. 
(They  are  so  many  that  I  cannot  mention  their 
names  separately.) 

Most  affectionately  yours, 

PAUL  SAWAYAMA. 

Mr.  Sawayama  wrote  again  after  his 
ordination  to  Mrs.  Boutell :  — 

Osaka,  Japan,  February  23,  1877. 

We  joyfully  formed  a  new  church  of  Christ 
which  is  called  ^'  Naniwa  Church  of  Christ," 
and  I  was  ordained  as  pastor  of  the  church. 
It  was  the  twentieth  of  last  month.  The  serv- 
ices of  the  day  were  very  grand  and  successful. 
I  wish  that  you  could  have  been  with  us  on  that 
day. 

I  have  in  my  church  only  eleven  members,  of 
which  eight  are  men  and  three  are  women,  but 
they  are  all  active  preachers,  and  we  have  at 
present  five  regular  preaching  places  for  the 
church  beside  our  own  chapel,  and  so  we  are 
quite  busy,  but  it  is  a  very  joyful  thing  to  be 
busy  in  the  Master's  work.  I  never  have  ex- 
perienced so  much  joy  in  my  heart  as  these 


Sawayama^  s  Ministry.  61 

days.  1  tell  you,  Mrs.  Boutell  and  my  Christian 
friends  in  Evanston,  that  it  is  a  joyful  thing  to 
work  hard  for  Christ,  as  you  clearly  know.  I 
write  you  the  following  about  our  church  serv- 
ice during  the  week :  — 

Sunday.    10  a.m.  to  11,  Preaching. 
11  to  12,  Bible  Study. 
3  P.M.  to  4.30  Sunday-school. 
7  P.M.,  Preaching. 
Monday.    7  p.m.,  Bible  Study. 
Wednesday.    7  p.m.,  Prayer-meeting. 
Thursday.    7  p.m.,  Bible  Study. 
Friday.    7  p.m..  General  Prayer-meeting. 
Pray  for  me,  my  dear  friends,   that  I  may 
have  great  faith  and  wisdom  in  Christ,  that  I 
may  be  fit  to  work  for  Christ  as  pastor  of  the 
flock;  and  pray  for  the  little  church.    I  pray 
for  you  all.  Affectionately  yours, 

PAUL  SAWAYAMA. 

This  Naniwa  Church  was  like  a  grain 
of  mustard  seed  in  its  beginning.  But  it 
grew  very  rapidly;  at  the  end  of  five 
years  it  had  increased  its  yearly  contribu- 
tion from  seventy  dollars  to  seven  hun- 
dred dollars.  It  had  started  an  inde 
pendent  church  in  Osaka  city,  and  made 


62  A  Modern  Paul 

a  beginning  of  Christian  work  in  nine 
other  places.  It  had  established  a  Chris- 
tian girls'  school  in  the  city.  That  the 
church  had  had  such  rapid  growth,  start- 
ing as  it  did  in  the  midst  of  so  many  pre- 
judices and  difficulties,  so  great  poverty 
and  suspicion,  must  be  attributed  largely 
to  Mr.  Sawayama's  great  faith  and  Chris- 
tian character. 

The  following  letter  shows  us  his  work 
during  those  days  :  — 

I  suppose  that  my  church  was  organized  in 
January,  1877,  with  eleven  members.  Since 
that  time  by  the  missionary  efforts  two  churches 
have  been  formed,  both  of  whose  pastors  are 
members  of  my  church.  Last  year  we  received 
fifty  persons  by  profession  and  three  by  letter. 
Total  contributions  for  the  last  year  were  seven 
hundred  and  twenty-six  yen,  the  yen  being  now 
of  the  value  of  about  a  dollar. 

My  church  raised  this  money  from  the  poorest 
people,  who  own  neither  house  nor  anything, 
hardly. 

We  must  recognize  that  the  Japanese 
wages    and    prices    are     both    very   low. 


Sawayama^s  Ministry.  63 

Therefore  the  seven  hundred  and  twenty- 
six  dollars  was  a  quite  good  sum  for  such 
a  church  in  Japan. ^ 

Mr.  Sawayama  was  careful  to  establish 
a  good  foundation  for  the  church  ;  so  he 
helped  the  young  converts  to  root  out 
their  sins  and  start  a  vigorous  new  Chris- 
tian life. 

To  the  friends  at  Evans  ton  he  wrote  : — - 

Osaka,  Japan,  May  18,  1877. 

I  thank  you  for  sending  me  the  certificate  of 
my  church  membership,  and  I  was  very  glad  to 
hear  from  Rev.  Edward  Packard  so  kind  and 
sympathetic  a  message.  May  we  always  be  con- 
nected by  the  strong  chain  of  love  of  Jesus 
Christ  our  Lord  and  our  Saviour !  I  was  very 
glad  to  hear  from  Mrs.  Boutell  such  thorough 
and  minute  news  of  our  Evanston  friends. 
When  I  was  reading  her  letter  I  felt  almost  as 
if  I  were  to  see  them  by  face  to  face. 

My  church  work  is  going  on  quite  nicely.  Our 
church  members  are  united  together  in  the  same 

iThe  purchasing  value  of  one  yen  or  Japanese  dollar 
would  be  expressed  in  the  United  States  by  about  $5, though 
the  actual  exchange  value  of  the  yen  is  simply  that  of  the 
trade  dollar.  Seven  hundred  and  twenty-six  yen  would 
thus  purchase  as  much  in  Japan  as  $3,500  would  in  America. 


64  A  Modern  Paul. 

mind  and  in  the  same  judgment  in  love  aijC 
faithfulness  to  our  Redeemer.  God  blessed  our 
work  and  we  received  several  applications  to 
join  our  church ;  but  we  do  not  hasten  to  receive 
them,  as  we  must  examine  them  thoroughly,  so 
that  we  may  (as  far  as  our  human  mind  can 
judge,  although  we  cannot  say  that  we  proved 
the  depth  of  the  heart)  prove  that  they  are  true 
Christians  and  are  willing  to  sacrifice  all  things 
for  Christ's  sake,  even  their  own  lives  if  it  is 
necessary. 

Some  of  the  applicants  were  most  bigoted 
Buddhists.  They  are  working  now  among  their 
former  religious  friends ;  I  hope  they  will  lead 
many  of  those  who  are  in  the  darkness  into  the 
light  of  the  Christian  religion.  One  of  the  ap- 
plicants is  a  doctor ;  he  is  faithful  and  fervent 
in  spirit :  he  preaches  to  every  sick  man  as  he 
goes  round  for  his  practice.  One  of  the  regular 
attendants  to  the  church  is  a  barber;  he  shuts 
his  shop  on  Sunday  and  comes  to  church  regu- 
larly ;  he  keeps  religious  tracts  and  newspapers 
In  his  shop  and  preaches  to  people  while  he  is 
cutting  their  hair  or  shaving  them.  One  of  the 
merchants  is  interested  in  the  way  and  attends 
the  church  every  Sabbath  and  also  he  opens  his 
house  for  religious  services.  His  four  servants 
are  very  much  interested  in  this  way,  and  one 


Sawayama's  Ministry.  65 

of  them  is  ready  to  unite  with  the  church,  but 
he  is  waiting  to  join  with  the  other  three. 
Their  neighbors  noticed  that  their  conduct  had 
changed,  and  that  they  had  become  so  very 
honest  and  kind  since  they  had  become  Chris- 
tians (though  they  do  not  yet  receive  baptism), 
and  these  neighbors  also  have  begun  to  come  to 
church.  Don't  you  think  Christians  are  truly 
the  light  of  the  world?  Eighty-two  of  Kobe 
prisoners  are  converted,  as  I  heard  from  Mayeda 
San,  who  is  chief  officer  in  the  prison ;  he  is  a 
Christian,  of  course.  I  went  to  see  them  the 
other  day;  they  are  quite  hopeful  ones. 

Our  church  members  are  all  active  preachers, 
men  as  well  as  women,  and  have  their  own 
places  to  preach  regularly.  I  have  preaching 
or  instructing  services  every  day,  except  Satur- 
day, on  which  I  prepare  for  Sunday  services. 
I  am  quite  busy  in  my  works,  but  they  are  not 
heavy  to  carry  on.  Christ's  burden  is  light  and 
his  yoke  is  easy. 

My  parents  wrote  me  the  other  day  that  the 
neighbors  speak  evil  of  them  because  they  are 
interested  in  Christianity ;  so  they  asked  me  to 
pray  to  the  true  God  to  protect  them  and  bless 
them,  and  I  wrote  them  in  answer  that  perse- 
cution for  Christ's  sake  is  sign  of  favor  of  God, 
and  comforted  them,  and  told  them  to  read  the 


66  A  Modern  Paul. 

eleventh  and  twelfth  verses  of  the  fifth  chapter 
of  Matthew. 

All  my  church  members  send  you  much 
Christian  love.  I  have  told  them  many  times 
about  you  and  the  Evanston  Church.  They 
think  a  great  deal  of  you. 

Dr.  Gordon,  whom  we  love  greatly,  is  obliged 
to  go  to  his  home  in  America  on  account  of  his 
eyes.  We  are  very  sorry  to  part  with  him. 
May  God  bless  him  and  restore  him  in  good 
health  again  before  very  long  and  let  him  come 
back  again  to  work  among  us ! 

I  send  you  articles  for  presents  to  you.  These 
are  small  tokens  of  my  great  love.  You  will 
please  find  the  list  of  presents  in  this  paper  and 
distribute  them  according  to  the  list. 

Your  sincerest  friend  and  brother  in  Christ, 
PAUL  SAWAYAMA. 

To  Mrs.  Boutell :  — 

Your  two  letters  and  one  of  Mr.  Boutell's  have 
been  received.  I  did  not  get  them  as  soon  as  1 
ought,  on  account  of  my  occasional  absence  from 
Osaka,  during  the  summer,  for  my  sister's  death 
and  others.  I  am  exceedingly  glad  to  know  that 
you  are  all  well  and  prosperous  by  the  merciful 
providence  of  our  heavenly  Father. 

I  spent  a  little  while    with    Mr.    and    Mrs. 


Sawayama^s  Ministry.  67 

Greene  this  summer  in  Arima  and  I  enjoyed  it 
more  than  anything  else  this  summer.  I  have 
a  great  affection  toward  their  children,  and  the 
children  also  like  me  very  much,  I  think.  When- 
ever we  meet  together  they  want  me  to  play 
with  them,  which  makes  me  quite  tired.  When 
they  went  to  bed  they  all  came  to  kiss  me. 
The  day  I  was  leaving  them  in  Arima,  Jerome 
said  to  his  mother:  '^  Mamma,  I  want  to  eat  up 
Sawayama  San  before  he  leaves  us."  Then 
Mrs.  Greene  said:  ''  O  Jerome,  some  one  in  the 
Kobe  School  will  feel  very  badly  if  you  should 
eat  Sawayama  San  up." 

**  Some  one  in  Kobe  School  "  meant  my  in- 
tended wife,  who  is  teaching  Chinesed  Japanese 
in  Kob6  School,  of  whom  you  may  have  heard 
already  either  from  Mr.  Greene  or  from  Mrs. 
Greene. 

Our  annual  meetings  in  Kobe  were  very  in- 
teresting. At  the  meeting  I  was  kindly  asked 
by  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Greene  to  baptize  their  dear 
baby,  Mary  Avery  Greene,  and  I  thankfully 
performed  the  service. 

One  who  received  baptism  lately  in  my 
church  was  a  doctor  who  is  about  sixty  years 
old.  He  was  a  most  bigoted  Buddhist.  When 
we  examined  him  it  was  satisfactory  in  every 
matter,  and  then  we  asked  him  if  he  would  give 


68  A  Modern  PauL 

up  anything  which  does  not  honor  Christ  and 
does  not  make  him  a  useful  man,  even  if  the 
thing  may  not  be  bad  or  wicked,  and  he  said  he 
would.  Then  we  asked  him  to  give  up  his 
smoking,  which  is  not  for  any  honor  for  Christ, 
though  we  do  not  say  that  those  who  smoke  are 
not  true  Christians.  He  said  that  he  was  will- 
ing to  give  up.  Few  days  after  he  sent  word 
that  we  should  wait  his  baptism  till  next  time 
on  account  of  that  he  cannot  yet  give  up  his 
smoking.  Then  I  went  to  see  him  and  I  no- 
ticed that  he  was  reading  Bible  and  praying 
and  fasting.  He  told  me  that  he  has  been 
smoking  day  and  night  during  these  forty  years, 
therefore  it  is  very  hard  for  him  to  give  it  up. 
But  he  said  that  he  is  willing  to  give  up  even 
his  life  for  Christ's  sake,  if  it  need  be.  Why 
cannot  smoking  be  given  up  ?  Because  he  thinks 
his  faith  is  not  yet  strong,  so  he  will  pray  God 
to  give  strong  faith  to  overcome  these  habits; 
and  that  time  we  kneeled  and  prayed  together, 
and  few  days  after  that  he  succeeded  to  give 
it  up  entirely. 

This  doctor  led  an  old  couple  who  were  also 
strong  Buddhists.  Since  they  gave  up  asso- 
ciating with  their  former  friends  the  former 
friends  with  priests  came  to  their  house  many 
times  to  try  to  lead  them  back  to  the  former 


Sawayama^s  Ministry,  69 

faith,  but  they  told  them  that  this  is  the  true 
way,  so  they  had  better  come  to  hear  about  the 
way.  They  brought  the  priest  to  our  church 
and  they  are  now  trying  to  lead  Buddhists  to 
hear  the  gospel  of  Christ.  Our  elder,  Maye- 
gami  San,  goes  to  his  house  to  preach  every 
Friday.  This  old  couple's  story  is  very  long 
and  interesting,  but  I  have  not  time  to  write  all 
this  morning. 

When  I  went  home  this  summer  I  found 
one  young  man  who  had  become  very  much 
interested  in  Christianity.  He  came  to  study 
Bible  every  day  while  I  was  there  and  when  I 
came  back  to  Osaka  he  also  came  with  me  as 
far  as  to  Kobe.  In  that  place  he  has  a  cousin 
who  is  a  higher  officer.  This  young  man  de- 
cided to  be  a  minister,  but  his  cousin  tried  to 
persuade  him  to  become  an  officer.  But  if  he 
should  become  an  officer,  he  cannot  sometimes 
keep  the  Sabbath.  So  he  told  his  cousin  that  he 
preferred  rather  to  be  a  slave  to  keep  God's 
holy  law  than  to  become  an  officer  to  break  it ; 
so  he  was  obliged  to  depart  from  him  immedi- 
ately. He  came  here  last  Saturday  and  is  wait- 
ing for  baptism.    His  faith  is  increasing  greatly. 

I  received  a  letter  with  '^Christian  Voice" 
from  Robert  McLean.  I  thank  him  for  them 
very  much  and  I  meant  to  write  him  by  this 


70  A  Modern  Paul 

mail,  but  I  am  afraid  that  I  could  not  do  so  by 
this;  but  I  will  answer  him  anyway  before 
long.  If  you  should  see  him,  please  tell  him 
about  it. 

I  have  not  at  all  written  to  any  friends  both 
in  Evanston  and  Chicago,  besides  your  own 
family,  for  I  have  not  such  sufficient  knowledge 
in  English  as  to  write  English  letter  rapidly; 
therefore  writing  English  makes  me  quite  awk- 
ward. Perhaps  that  makes  some  friends  to  feel 
that  I  do  not  remember  them ;  but  yes,  yes  I  I 
do  remember  them  all  the  time  and  think  about 
them  and  pray  for  them  in  public  and  in  closet. 
In  my  pocketbook  many  addresses  of  my  Amer- 
ican friends  are  written,  for  I  meant  to  write 
them ;  but  since  I  came  back  to  my  country  I 
never  could  yet  accomplish  what  I  want  in  this. 
Will  you  tell  them  our  friends  there  and  else- 
where the  above  condition  wherever  you  should 
meet  together? 

Most  affectionately  yours, 

PAUL  SAWAYAMA- 

To  Mrs.  Boutell :  — 

Though  I  am  not  yet  attending  the  evening 
meeting  of  the  church.  Deacon  Mayegami  is 
taking  charge  of  them,  and  the  works  of  my 
church  are  going  on  very  nicely  now.    It  seems 


Sawayama^s  Ministry,  71 

it  has  pleased  God  to  prosper  the  work  of  our 
churches  here.  The  last  month,  Temma  Church 
(which  is  a  daughter  of  my  church)  received 
several  students  of  the  Osaka  College.  I  bap- 
tized one  on  the  first  Sunday. 

I  commenced  my  work  last  month  and  have 
now  several  persons  who  wish  to  come  into  my 
church,  so  we  are  now  examining  them  in  order 
to  receive  them  by  the  next  communion  service. 
The  First  Church  is  also  going  to  receive  about 
five  persons  at  the  same  time. 

Many  students  of  the  college  above  are  at- 
tending regularly  the  meetings  of  our  churches 
through  the  influence  chiefly  of  their  teachers, 
Tamura  and  Koidsumi,  who  are  members  of 
the  church.  Over  half  a  dozen  of  them  were 
already  received  into  the  churches.  The  presi- 
dent of  the  college,  Mr.  Hattori,  formerly  the 
vice-president  of  the  Imperial  University,  is  my 
childhood  friend  and  schoolmate,  and  is  very 
kind  to  me,  though  he  is  in  religion  a  disciple  of 
Darwin.  He  is  the  graduate  of  the  same  col- 
lege in  which  Dr.  D.  C.  Greene  graduated.  He 
invited  me  a  few  weeks  ago  to  the  college  and 
showed  me  the  medical,  chemical,  and  other 
college  departments.    They  are  all  taught  by 

the  Japanese  professors. 

P.  SAWAYAMA. 


72  A  Modem  Paul. 

To  Rev.  Edward  Packard :  — 

Osaka,  Japan,  March  26,  1880. 

I  hope,  if  it  be  the  will  of  the  Lord,  that 
I  should  be  spared  longer  to  serve  him  in 
the  work  in  which  he  has  blessed  me  very 
much  these  several  years  since  I  came  back 
from  America.i  I  have  been  exceedingly  happy 
in  the  work  which  the  Lord  directed  my 
heart  to  decide  as  my  life  service  to  him. 
Indeed  this  joy  which  I  received  from  him, 
the  world  in  any  circumstances  could  not  take 
away  from  me. 

My  dear  pastor,  I  never  even  one  day  could 
forget  you,  and  my  American  friends,  as  you 
were  the  means  of  my  conversion.  I  began  to 
take  charge  of  the  daily  religious  exercises  of 
our  girls'  school  a  few  weeks  ago  as  I  used  to 
do  before.  You  know  we  started  this  school 
two  years  ago  by  our  own  hand  with  the  good 
advices  of  the  missionaries,  and  we  built  the 
schoolhouse  last  year.  Now  we  have  over  fifty 
scholars  who  are  all  very  nice  girls  and  most  of 
them  are  from  the  families  of  high  class.  I  am 
very  glad  that  I  could  have  the  opportunity  to 
tell  much  about  the  Saviour  to  them  and  help 

iMr.  Sawayama  already  had  consumption  at  this  time. 


Sawayama's  Ministry.  73 

them  to  come  to  him.    Several  of   them  are 
already  members  of  my  church. 

Yours  sincerely, 

PAUL  SAWAYAMA. 

Mr.  Sawayama  had  a  peculiar  magnetic 
power.  No  one  made  him  a  visit  or  talked 
with  him  without  receiving  a  good  im- 
pression from  him.  Every  Christian  who 
came  to  him  for  help  or  advice  was  certain 
to  receive  all  that  he  expected.  I  will 
refer  to  the  two  following  instances  out 
of  many :  — 

Mr.  Tomoyoshi  Murai,  who  is  now  a 
student  in  Andover  Seminary,  told  me 
the  other  day  his  impression  of  Mr.  Sawa- 
yama :  — 

"  Ever  since  I  had  heard  of  Mr.  Sawa- 
yama as  a  man  of  faith  and  character,  I 
had  expected  for  a  long  time  to  see  him  ; 
finally  I  had  a  short  interview  with  him 
while  he  was  in  the  hospital.  I  have 
never  forgotten  the  pure  and  celestial  in- 
fluences that  I  received  from  him.  I  was 
greatly  helped  and  inspired  by  his  talks. 


74  A  Moderyi  Paul. 

I  recall  that  I  was  then  anxious  to  con- 
vert my  father,  who  had  heard  of  Chris- 
tianity for  six  years,  who  sought  to  be- 
come a  Christian  himself  but  could  not 
do  so  on  account  of  his  doubts  and  per- 
plexities, and  yet  was  highly  interested  in 
Christianity  aud  induced  his  wife  and 
daughters  to  join  the  church,  and  gave  all 
possible  help  to  the  extension  of  Chris- 
tianity in  his  town. 

"  I  presented  the  case  before  Mr.  Sawa- 
yama  and  asked  him  how  to  lead  such  a 
one  to  Christ.  He  advised  me  not  to  be 
overanxious  about  it,  but  to  wait  trust- 
fully for  God's  time.  God  may  convert 
him  in  some  unexpected  way.  He  tolS 
me  then  the  story  of  Whitefield's  con- 
version and  of  others  who  were  brought 
to  Christ  not  through  any  efforts  of  their 
fellow  men,  but  through  a  combination 
of  certain  circumstances.  Whitefield,  he 
said,  was  stopping  in  the  hotel  when  he 
recalled  that  Christ  was  born  in  a  hotel, 
and  then  his  conversion  took  place. 


Sawayama's  Ministry.  75 

"Wonderful  it  was  that  after  a  few 
years  my  father  made  his  decision  to 
become  a  Christian  in  a  similar  manner 
as  Mr.  Sawayama  suggested.  One  Sunday 
he  was  left  at  home  alone  while  all  the 
rest  went  to  church.  He  heard  the 
church  bell  ringing,  which  sounded  to  his 
ears  like  God's  call  to  his  soul,  which 
proved  to  be  a  turning  point  in  his  life  and 
made  him  enter  the  kingdom  of  God." 

The  other  case  is  told  of  by  Mr.  Sawa- 
yama himself  in  one  of  his  letters  as  fol- 
lows :  — 

One  night  a  woman  came  to  me  burdened 
with  her  sins,  and  I  tried  to  show  her  what 
seemed  to  be  her  duty.  After  praying  with  her 
she  went  home,  and  before  retiring  she  tried  to 
give  up  all  to  Christ  and  accept  his  salvation. 
In  the  morning  her  heart  was  full  of  joy,  and 
as  she  had  no  desire  for  the  bad  habit  to  which 
she  been  tempted  as  usual,  she  took  that  as  one 
of  the  signs  that  her  heart  was  changed.  As 
her  health  was  very  poor  her  family  urged  her 
to  go  to  her  native  country  for  a  change ;  but 
soon  after  reaching  there  she  received  a  letter 


76  A  Modern  Paul 

of  divorce  from  her  husband.  She  was  thus 
thrown  upon  her  family  for  support,  and  she 
must  be  dependent  upon  her  brother,  as  her 
parents  were  not  living. 

On  returning  to  her  brother's  house  she  did 
not,  as  formerly,  worship  «the  household  gods, 
and  her  brother  was  very  angry.  He  said  to 
her:  "  If  you  will  not  worship  and  offer  food 
and  flowers  to  the  gods,  you  cannot  stay  in  my 
house:  you  are  a  disgrace  to  the  family,  even 
neglecting  the  ancestral  tablets."  Her  sister-in- 
law,  although  not  so  angry,  urged  her  to  give  up 
her  God,  and  worship  as  they  did,  while  she 
lived  in  their  house. 

She  replied:  ''I  cannot  give  up  my  God. 
Even  though  my  brother  should  whip  me  to 
^eath  I  cannot  give  him  up." 

Finally  her  brother  opened  the  bureau  drawers 
and  taking  out  her  clothing  and  everything  that 
belonged  to  her,  threw  them  out  in  the  yard, 
telling  her  to  leave  his  house. 

The  woman  was  in  sore  trouble,  as  she  in  her 
poor  health  was  being  driven  away  from  the 
only  house  she  had.  But  she  had  been  praying 
for  guidance  and  soon  her  way  was  made  plain. 
A  man  came  telling  her  that  he  was  in  search  of 
a  woman  to  teach  needlework  to  a  class  of  girls 
in  an  adjoining  town  and  had  heard  of  her. 


SawayamoU %  Ministry,  77 

Would  she  be  willing  to  go?  She  was  of 
course  glad  to  go.  She  stayed  there  a  few 
months,  when  her  husband,  having  become  a 
Christian,  went  and  brought  her  back  to  her 
Osaka  home. 

They  seem  very  happy  and  are  together 
trying  to  work  in  bringing  others  to  the 
services  and  in  teaching  them  at  home. 

Even  those  who  hated  Christianity  ad- 
mired his  Christian  virtues.  Mr.  Sawayama 
had  no  enemy.  I  remember  a  great  Con- 
fucian scholar  who  said  :  "  Mr.  Sawayama 
is  a  sage  indeed."  To  the  Confucianist  the 
ideal  man  is  the  sage,  the  possessor  of  true 
wisdom. 

His  church  was  characterized  by  a  spirit 
of  broad  sympathy  and  love.  There  were 
no  divisions  in  it.  Not  only  was  his 
church  devoted  to  him,  but  his  personal 
influence  reached  out  until  all  the  Chris- 
tians of  Japan  loved  him.  And  this  in- 
fluence did  not  depend  on  his  eloquence, 
but  upon  the  power  of  his  Christian  per- 
sonality.    Dr.  De  Forest,  one  of  the  most 


78  A  Modern  Paul 

prominent  missionaries  in  Japan,  says  of 
Mr.  Sawayama,  in  his  letter  to  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Boutell :  — 

We  only  hope  he  may  be  spared  to  encourage 
his  church,  hoping  against  hope.  There  Is  no 
church  like  his  in  all  Japan ;  none  so  noted  for 
generosity ;  none  that  has  set  so  high  an  example 
for  active  and  pure  Christian  living.  Churches 
two  hundred  miles  away  have  learned  to  speak 
of  Mr.  S  away  am  a' s  church  as  the  one  to  pattern 
after.  So  that  we  have  every  reason  to  pray  for 
his  health  and  strength  to  be  continued  to  us. 
He  has  already  two  plans  on  foot :  one  to  build 
a  church,  the  other,  to  establish  a  boys'  school. 
If  he  is  spared  to  us,  it  may  be  that  we  should 
be  very  glad  to  avail  ourselves  of  your  kind 
offer  of  help. 

Another  missionary  in  writing  of  him 
says : — 

He  is  a  burning  and  shining  light  in  this  great 
city.  It  is  wonderful  how  near  he  keeps  to  his 
Saviour  though  surrounded  by  heathen  influ- 
ences and  customs.  His  life  is  as  simple  as  that 
of  a  little  child,  and  I  believe  as  pure.  He 
seems  to  trust  God  perfectly,  and  when  the  way 
is  darkest  his  faith  is  strongest. 


Sawayama's  Ministry,  79 

Soon  after  his  return  from  America  he 
was  attacked  by  a  disease  which  rapidly 
developed  into  consumption.  From  this 
time  until  his  death  he  had  scarcely  one 
comfortable  day,  during  a  period  of  ten 
years.  His  work  was  done  rather  upon 
his  sick  bed  than  in  the  pulpit,  and  during 
five  years  five  coffins  were  carried  out 
from  his  home.  His  younger  sister  died 
soon  after  his  return  to  Japan.  After  a 
long  illness  his  father  died.  Mr.  Sawa- 
yama  received  a  telegram  from  his  father 
to  come  immediately,  when  he  was  him- 
self enfeebled  and  his  wife  was  on  a  sick 
bed.     He  says  in  a  letter :  — 

Our  baby  daughter  was  born  on  the  twelfth 
of  the  last  October.  Her  name  is  Isa.  .  .  .  My 
father  died  at  his  home  on  the  twenty-first  of 
last  October.  He  became  a  believer  in  Christ, 
and  about  ten  days  before  his  death  telegraphed 
to  me  to  come  to  see  him,  and  accordingly  I  left 
this  city  on  the  third  day  after  my  baby's  birth, 
and  I  was  with  him  and  baptized  him.  His  last 
days  were  very  pleasant  and  thankful,  and  he 
died   happy  in   believing  Christ.     My  thanks 


80  A  Modern  Paul 

cannot  be  expressed  for   it.    My  mother  and 
brother  are  also  Christians  now,  I  think. 

Some  Americans  said  of  this :  "  In  the 
interior  of  Japan  a  son  performing  the 
holy  ordinance  of  baptism  for  a  believing 
father." 

Then  his  child  and  his  mother  died. 
He  writes :  — 

We  had  two  daughters,  but  one  died  last  year. 
Within  a  few  years  since  I  left  you,  I  think  I 
have  experienced  several  conditions  of  human 
life:  I  became  pastor,  husband,  and  father;  and 
lost  father,  sister,  child,  and  mother.  I  thank 
God,  all  these  joys  and  sorrows  of  my  life  bring 
me  closer  to  Christ  who  is  "  the  same  yesterday, 
and  to-day  and  forever." 

And  last  of  all  his  beloved  wife  died, 
leaving  him  with  his  little  daughter. 
Though  Mr.  Sawayama  was  himself  en- 
feebled and  rendered  miserable  by  dis- 
eases, he  never  ceased  in  his  devotion  to 
these  sufferers,  comforting  them  in  every 
way  and  guiding  them  by  his  words  and 
his  love  to  their  eternal  peace.     In  a  letter 


Sawayama' s  Ministry.  81 

he  says :  "-  My  wife  died  on  the  thirtieth 
of  May,  1884.  A  year  before  her  death 
she  experienced  a  great  change  in  her 
spiritual  life.  In  her  sickness  and  death 
she  was  very,  very  happy." 

How  came  this  new  experience  to  Mrs. 
Sawayama  ?  A  year  before  her  death  she 
began  to  doubt  of  her  salvation  and  feared 
to  die.  She  called  her  husband  and  cling- 
ing to  his  sleeves  cried  bitterly  on  account 
of  the  uncertainty  of  her  salvation.  Mr. 
Sawayama,  while  usually  full  of  affec- 
tion and  tender  love  to  her,  at  that  occa- 
sion bravely  forsook  her  in  the  view  of 
her  soul's  welfare,  saying,  "  I  am  your 
husband,  but  I  am  not  your  Saviour. 
You  have  been  relying  on  me  more  than 
on  Christ.  You  made  a  tremendous  mis- 
take. I  love  you,  but  cannot  save  your 
soul.  Christ  is  your  Saviour  and  he 
alone.  Call  upon  him  and  seek  your  sal- 
vation." Then  he  left  her  alone  and 
came  downstairs.  She  struggled  severely 
but  was  finally  driven  to  Christ,  forsaking 


82  A  Modern  Paid, 

all  her  temporal  reliances  and  surrendering 
herself  entirely  to  Jesus. 

In  a  letter  to  tlie  writer  which  he  wrote 
after  his  wife  died,  he  says :  "  Unosuke 
[his  younger  brother,  who  went  to  Do- 
shisha  College]  and  Mrs.  Naruse  and  Isa 
[his  four-year-old  daughter  who  came  to 
my  home,  where  I  and  my  wife  took  care 
of  her  for  a  long  while  as  Mr.  Sawayama 
was  sick],  departed  from  me  this  morning, 
so  I  felt  very  lonesome." 

Again  he  says  to  Mrs.  Boutell :  "  I 
naturally  feel  a  great  loss  of  my  wife  and 
am  very  lonely,  but  thank  God  she  died 
very  peacefully  with  firm  faith  in  Christ, 
and  both  her  sickness  and  death  blessed 
many.  My  grateful  feeling  toward  God 
for  her  is,  '  Thou  hast  made  her  most 
blessed  for  ever.  Thou  has  made  her  ex- 
ceedingly glad  with  thy  countenance.' 

"  I  am  now  sick  in  the  hospital,  so  I  can- 
not work  much,  but  I  am  praying  constant- 
ly and  the  work  of  my  church  is  blessed. 
Please  pray  for  my  work,  which  is  God's." 


Sawayamas  Minutry,  83 

There  is  a  Japanese  poem  which  Mr. 
Sawayama  wrote  in  a  few  minutes  to  com- 
fort his  wife  when  she  was  subjected  to 
severe  pain  through  her  disease,  which  is 
translated  as  follows  :  — 

Spare  thou  our  lives  or  take  them,  Lord, 
Our  deepest  hearts  at  peace  shall  be, 

Our  earthly  frames  with  glad  accord 
To  all  thy  will,  we  trust  to  thee. 

If,  by  thy  grace,  our  lives  are  spared. 
We  '11  serve  thee  through  our  earthly  days, 

We  '11  linger  here,  with  souls  prepared 
To  render  thee  eternal  praise. 

Tf  thou  shouldst  call  us  in  our  youth, 
We  '11  hasten  through  the  open  gate 

Without  regret,  for  there,  in  truth. 
Thy  many  mansions  for  us  wait. 

The  bitter  pains  and  struggles  sore 
Through  which  our  lives  are  passing  now. 

Thou  knewest  them.  Saviour,  all  before: 
Thou  leadest  us ;  to  thee  we  bow. 

For  all  who  strive  to  enter  in 
Thy  heavenly  kingdom.  Master,  God, 

Must  walk  with  anguish  over  sin. 
The  thorny  path  thyself  hast  trod. 


84  A  Modem  Paul, 

His  burdens  did  not  stop  here;  for  he 
had,  like  Paul,  '*  the  care  of  the  churches." 
He  must  continue  his  own  preaching, 
guide  his  own  work,  oversee  the  manage- 
ment of  his  school  and  missions.  But 
he  was  never  disappointed,  never  uttered 
one  word  of  displeasure  or  complaint. 
He  was  always  courageous,  thankful, 
cheerful,  and  hopeful. 

Once  he  wrote  to  the  writer  as  follows : 
"  Your  sympathetic  letters  comforted  me 
very  much.  My  wife  is  on  her  sick  bed 
still.  I  had  a  hemorrhage  of  the  lungs  yes- 
terday, but  I  feel  a  little  better  to-day.  .  .  . 
My  family  is  in  the  calamity  of  disease  all 
the  time,  but  I  am  rejoicing  and  thanking 
day  and  night,  because  I  hav^e  learned  the 
way  of  rejoicing  in  every  trouble." 

And  he  said  again  at  another  time : 
"  My  wife  and  myself  are  in  severe  sick- 
ness, but  the  grace  of  God  is  increasing 
according  to  the  proportion  of  the  afflic- 
tions." 

Many  times  my  own  heart  was  stirred 


SawayamcCs  Mmistry.  85 

to  deep  sorrow  on  his  behalf,  but  he  said, 
not  with  the  spirit  of  resignation  but 
rather  of  a  deep  thankfuhiess :  "  Naked 
came  I  out  of  my  mother's  womb,  and 
naked  shall  I  return  thither;  the  Lord 
gave,  and  the  Lord  hath  taken  away ; 
blessed  be  the  name  of  the  Lord."  And 
if  I  saw  the  tears  gathered  in  his  eyes 
while  we  sang  the  funeral  hymns,  it  was 
not  so  much  the  expression  of  sorrow  as 
of  a  profound  emotion  of  thankfulness 
for  the  great  salvation  which  had  come  to 
him  and  to  his  household. 

His  doctors  often  wondered  »greatly  at 
his  physical  endurance.  They  appointed 
many  times  beyond  which  he  could  not 
live.  But  his  weak  body  was  sustained 
by  the  spirit  of  faith  and  courage  in 
which  he  lived.  He  did  not  care  much 
about  his  body,  but  he  aspired  all  the 
time  to  the  development  of  his  spirit  only. 
His  soul  was  all ;  his  body  was  but  little. 
The  following  letters  show  us  this  stage  of 
his  disease  and  his  courage. 


86  A  Modern  Paul 

To  Mrs.  Boutell,  October  30,  1877:  — 

My  health  is  not  very  good.  I  mean  by  that 
I  have  had  trouble  in  my  head  these  five  months 
more  or  less,  and  now  I  feel  much  worse  and  I 
cannot  do  much  work,  as  I  have  nervous  head- 
ache day  and  night.  Dr.  Adams  cried  me  with 
medicines ;  but  I  do  not  feel  any  better ;  but  I 
believe  that  if  I  should  rest  for  a  little  while 
from  my  daily  work,  I  should  be  more  well  I 
hope.  As  I  feel  that  everything  comes  from 
the  Almighty  hand  of  our  Merciful  Father  in 
heaven,  I  feel  that  I  learned  a  good  lesson  by 
the  sickness.  He  teaches  me  to  depend  more 
upon  his  strength  which  is  infinite,  instead  of 
depending  on  my  feeble  strength  and  wisdom. 
So  I  rejoice  even  in  my  weakness. 

Every  one  of  my  church  members  is  trying  to 
work  for  our  dear  Saviour  with  the  utmost 
strength.  They  are  willing  to  sacrifice  all,  and 
I  think  they  all  almost  try  to  say  boldly  with 
St.  Paul:  '^For  to  me  to  live  is  Christ  and  to 
die  is  gain." 

In  his  letter  to  the  same  on  February 
4,  1878,  he  says:  — 

I  have  still  headache  nearly  all  the  time,  and 
so  I  went  to  Himeji  to  rest  a  little  while  last 


Sawayama^s  Ministry,  87 

November,  but  I  could  not  get  well.  I  think 
I  have  brain  disease,  because  I  have  such  a  long 
time  since  the  commencement  of  my  headache. 
Also  Dr.  Adams  told  me  decidedly  that  I  will 
not  live  long  because  I  have  consumption.  I  am 
very  careful  for  my  health  and  walk  round  the 
city  for  exercise  most  all  day,  and  preach  ser- 
mons out  doors.  But  I  do  not  feel  weak  at  all. 
I  could  say  almost  to  any  one  who  salute  me : 
*'How  do  you  do  ?  "  ''I  am  very  well,  thank  you." 
This  constant  headache,  as  Dr.  Adams  thinks, 
comes  from  hectic  fever ;  but  thank  God  I  am 
very  successful  in  the  work  which  my  heavenly 
Father  gave  me  to  do,  and  am  very  happy. 

This  morning  one  missionary  said  to  me, 
**  Good  morning,  Mr.  Sawayama.  You  are  al- 
ways bright  and  happy  these  days."  I  think  it 
is  better  to  be  happy  than  well;  is  it  not?  I 
think  that  is  very  true. 

He  says  again  in  a  letter  of  November, 

18,  1878 :  — 

"I  have  been  feeling  quite  unwell,  as  the 
doctor  thought  I  could  not  live  long.  But  I  am 
thankful  to  God,  that  in  these  days  of  my  ill 
health,  I  have  never  even  been  discouraged,  as 
I  really  know  from  my  heart  that  I  am  entirely 
in  the  hand  of  our  heavenly  Father  who  loved 


88  A  3Iodern  Paul. 

me,  and  sent  his  Son  to  die  for  me.  I  thank 
God  that  I  am  able  to  say  from  my  heart,  ''The 
Lord's  will  be  done,"  either  in  my  life  or  death. 

By  the  blessing  of  God,  I  am  much  improv- 
ing in  my  health  these  days,  so  I  am  very  glad 
that  I  could  work  daily  for  Christ  more  than 
before,  and  I  hope  that  my  health  will  continu- 
ally improve,  if  it  is  God's  will.  Indeed  I  have, 
by  God's  grace,  a  great  ambition  to  serve  the 
work  which  God  gave  me  to  do  in  this  world, 
forgetting  what  an  unworthy  man  I  am.  Yet 
I  believe  by  faith  that  great  apostle's  words, 
^'  I  can  do  all  things  through  Christ  who 
strengtheneth  me,"  and  I  am  willing  to  sacrifice 
joyfully  for  Christ's  sake  all  my  comforts,  ease, 
and  honor  in  the  world,  if  it  is  necessary,  and 
try  to  follow  him  more  closely,  who  had  not 
where  to  lay  his  head  on  earth.  But  beyond  my 
hope,  God  blessed  me  with  many  comforts  and 
kind  friends,  honor  and  other  Innumerable 
blessings. 

To-morrow  my  wife  and  I  will  go  to  Kishi- 
nowadda,  a  city  which  is  twenty  miles  south  of 
this  city.  I  have  already  been  there  to  preach 
twice  before.  This  is  the  country  of  ex- 
daimio  (the  prince)  who  is  now  in  Springfield, 
Mass.,  and  was  converted  there.  He  wrote  the 
people  to  hear  the  gospel,  and  so  they  invited 


Sawayama^s  Ministry.  89 

us  to  come  to  preadh  for  them.  I  have  an  audi- 
ence of  one  hundred  and  fifty  people  every 
time.  I  promised  to  go  there  to  preach  every 
other  week.  I  preach  at  three  o'clock  in  the 
afternoon  and  seven  in  the  evening.  Now  they 
want  me  to  teach  them  with  book  in  the  hour 
between  the  two  meetings.  Hereafter  I  will 
take  my  wife  with  me  and  let  her  teach  the 
women  and  also  teach  singing. 

To-night  we  are  going  to  have  our  sociable, 
which  we  have  on  every  other  Monday  evening. 
In  these  meetings  we  all  get  a  great  deal  of 
benefit  in  uniting  together  Christians  as 
brethren  and  sisters  as  we  talk  together  every- 
thing very  familiarly. 

I  will  not  write  you  any  more  now,  as  I  must 
attend  to  some  business  of  the  Home  Mission- 
ary Society,  which  we  established  last  spring, 
because  we  are  going  to  have  our  annual  meet- 
ing in  Kobe  next  Friday. 

On  October  7,  1878,  he  says  :  — 

I  am  also  not  well  all  the  time.  I  have  more 
or  less  fever,  headache,  cough,  and  so  general 
feebleness  in  my  entire  body.  Yet  I  am  very 
thankful  that  I  believe  that  ''  all  things  work 
together  for  good  to  them  that  love  God,  to 
them    who    are    the    called,   according    to    his 


90  A  Modern  Paul 

purpose,"  and  am  able  to  saf ,  in  whatever  con- 
dition I  may  be,  "All  well.  Lord  I" 

At  one  time  before  the  death  of  his 
wife,  he  suffered  from  the  fiercest  attack 
of  his  disease.  At  the  same  time  his 
wife  was  sick  with  a  severe  hemorrhage 
of  the  lungs  and  a  very  high  fever.  Mr. 
Sawayama  could  not  sleep,  or  even  lie 
down  for  seven  days  and  nights,  so 
severe  was  his  pain ;  during  all  this  time 
he  remained  almost  motionless  upon  the 
floor,  in  a  position  which  I  can  scarcely 
describe  so  as  to  make  the  reader  see  it. 
But  as  nearly  as  I  can  describe  it  it  was 
this :  he  kneeled,  bringing  his  hips  close 
down  to  his  ankles,  then  threw  his  body 
forward  upon  the  floor,  resting  it  upon 
his  elbows,  which  were  drawn  back  under 
his  chest,  and  supporting  his  head  with 
his  hands.  I  was  taking  care  of  him  and 
his  sick  wife  as  best  I  could.  I  often 
offered  to  rub  his  muscles  so  as  to  relieve 
him  somewhat,  but  he  would  not  allow 
me   to  remit  my  care  of  his  wife  for  so 


Sawayama's  Ministry,  91 

long  a  time.     Remaining  in'  this  position 
he   did   not   speak   for    seven    days,   but 
waited    calmly   and    patiently.     As    soon 
as  his  distress  began  to  lessen  a  little  he 
smiled  and  said  to  me:   "I  never  prayed 
that  the  Father  would  take  my  soul,  for 
it  would  be  a  selfish  prayer.     I  am  glad  to 
stay  in  this  world  and  to  endure  my  pain 
as  long  as  the  Father  wishes."     Tlien  he 
added :  "  If  at  any  time  death  comes,  it 
shall  make  no  difference  to  me.     I   will 
do  just  the  same   work  just  before    my 
death  as    at   any   other  time."     He   said 
often:  "I  will  die  on  the   battlefield;   I 
will  fight  the  good  fight."     And  not  even 
his  great  namesake  said  more  bravely  than 
he,    "O  death,   where   is  thy   sting?     O 
grave,  where  is  thy  victory?     The  sting 
of  death  is  sin;  and  the  strength  of  sin 
is  the  law.     But  thanks  be  to  God,  which 
giveth  us  the  victory  through  our   Lord 
Jesus  Christ." 

As   soon    as   the   force    of    his    disease 
mitigated  enough  to  allow  him  to  leave 


92  A  Modern  Paul 

his  bed,  he  began  to  visit  and  to  take  his 
place  again  in  his  pulpit  and  his  prayer- 
meeting.  When  in  his  pulpit  those  who 
heard  his  sermons  would  scarcely  know 
that  he  was  an  invalid ;  for  his  face  was 
bright  and  his  voice  was  strong  and  clear. 
One  day  he  appeared  in  his  pulpit  after 
his  sickness  before  an  audience  which 
filled  his  church  to  its  utmost  capacity. 
He  preached  with  unusual  fervor.  His 
audience  was  greatly  impressed.  It  seems 
to  me  no  exaggeration  to  say  that  this  one 
sermon  converted  more  than  a  score  of 
souls.  But  when  he  reached  his  home  he 
was  exhausted,  and  was  obliged  to  take  to 
his  bed  at  once.  He  remained  in  an  un- 
conscious condition  until  the  following 
noon.  Sometimes  he  preached  in  Osaka, 
Tokyo  and  Niigata,  in  the  theaters,  to 
audiences  of  several  thousand  people. 
The  weakness  of  his  lungs  did  not  seem 
to  impair  the  strength  or  clearness  of  his 
voice. 

His    sermons    seemed    almost    equally 


Sawayama's  Ministry,  93 

impressive  for  all  classes  of  people,  chil- 
dren as  well  as  adults,  unlearned  as 
well  as  educated.  For  his  knowledge 
and  wisdom  had  come  into  his  heart 
through  his  experience.  I  can  refer  to 
some  results  and  ways  of  his  sermons 
from   his   letters. 

After  preaching  at  the  general  confer- 
ence of  Osaka,  he  says  in  his  letter  to  Mrs. 
Boutell,  concerning  his  sermon  from  the 
text,  "Notwithstanding  in  this  rejoice  not, 
.  .  .  but  rather  rejoice,  because  your  names 
are  written  in  heaven  "  (Luke  10  :  20)  : 
"God  helped  me  in  the  preaching  and 
many  of  the  church  members  shed  tears 
while  I  was  preaching." 

Of  other  services  he  says :  "  I  preached 
a  week  ago  last  Sunday  evening  from  text 
'  God  is  love.'  After  the  service  many  of 
the  audience  expressed  of  their  impression 
and  effects.  I  preached  last  Sunday  from 
Romans  15  :  3  :  '  For  even  Christ  pleased 
not  himself.' " 

"  Mr.  Leavitt  has  his  Bible  class  after 


94  A  Modern  Paul. 

our  Sunday-school  and  has  a  good  audi- 
ence, and  I  interpret  for  him." 

St.  Barnabas  Hospital, 
Osaka,  Japan,  February  9, 1885. 

Dear  Mrs.  Boutell,  —  !  have  been  much 
better.  The  night  sweat  has  stopped  and  I  have 
gained  in  flesh.  I  preached  the  twenty-eighth  of 
December  the  last  to  my  people  from  the  text, 
"  Let  us  labour  therefore  to  enter  into  that  rest " 
(Heb.  4:  11),  as  I  thought  it  would  be  an  appro- 
priate subject  to  preach  on  that  day,  being  the 
last  rest  day  of  the  year.  And  again  the  first 
Sabbath  of  this  year  from  the  often  used  text, 
''  Fight  the  good  fight  of  faith,  lay  hold  on  eter- 
nal life."  When  I  preached  the  latter  sermon 
the  Rev.  Mr.  Morimoto,  the  editor  of  Fukuin 
Shimpo,  being  present  at  my  church,  took  note 
of  the  sermon  and  published  it  in  his  paper, 
and  when  that  paper  came  to  one  of  my  church 
members,  who  has  been  living  at  a  distance,  he 
was  greatly  pleased  to  hear  my  sermon  again 
after  so  long  a  time. 

But  I  caught  cold  that  Sunday  and  was  obliged 
to  shut  myself  in  the  hospital  nearly  five  weeks. 
I  went  out  yesterday  to  preach  the  communion 
sermon  from  the.  text,  ''A  new  commandment 
I  give  unto  you,  that  ye  love  one  another." 


Sawayama^s  Ministry.  95 

Before  I  went  out  yesterday  one  of  the  nurses 
remarked  to  me  that  I  must  be  shut  in  many 
weeks  again  if  I  did  go  out  to  preach,  but  this 
time  I  did  not  catch  cold  and  feel  no  worse  for 
my  work  of  yesterday. 

He  speaks  about  the  conversion  of  some 
children  from  his  sermon  :  — 

Among  the  children  of  our  deacons  there 
was  one  girl  of  nine  years  of  age.  One  even- 
ing after  she  had  heard  a  sermon  she  retired  to 
her  bed  in  the  next  room  to  that  in  which  her 
parents  slept.  At  about  midnight  her  father 
heard  some  noise  in  her  room  that  showed  that 
she  was  not  asleep.  Therefore  he  almost  scolded 
her  for  spending  the  night  in  some  pleasure 
without  sleeping,  for  it  was  now  about  mid- 
night. She  said:  ''Papa,  I  cannot  sleep,  for  if 
I  should,  I  might  die  before  morning,  and  I  am 
condemned  as  a  sinner."  Her  father  then  saw 
that  she  was  under  conviction  of  sin.  At  first 
he  was  much  perplexed  as  to  what  to  do,  for 
though  he  was  an  experienced  deacon  he  had 
not  often  seen  such  deep  conviction  of  sin  in 
children.  So  he  asked  her  what  had  been  her 
sins,  and  she  confessed.  He  then  pointed  her 
to  the  Lamb  of  God,  who  taketh  away  the  sins 


96  A  Modern  Paul. 

of  the  world — as  well  as  he  could.  They 
prayed  together,  and  she  consecrated  herself  to 
God  that  night. 

As  she  received  the  truth  at  once,  her  fears 
left  her,  and  she  became  calm  and  slept  peace- 
fully the  rest  of  the  night. 

The  father  told  his  wife  and  together  they 
were  much  impressed,  feeling  that  God  was  in 
their  house.  The  next  day  the  father  came  to 
me  to  ask  what  it  was  best  to  do,  for  this  was 
the  first  instance  of  the  awaking  of  so  young  a 
child  in  our  midst.  I  advised  him  to  bring  his 
daughter  to  be  examined  for  admission  to  the 
Church. 

Before  being  received  into  the  Church  she 
was  invited  to  the  house  of  a  schoolmate  to  take 
dinner  with  them.  The  father  of  this  family 
was  the  principal  editor  of  a  leading  newspaper 
of  the  city,  and  had  been  educated  in  England. 
He  was  a  well-educated  man  and  an  infidel. 
He  allowed  no  kind  of  worship  in  his  family. 
Our  little  girl  knew  this,  and  thought  that  if 
this  unbelieving  family  should  see  her  ask  a 
blessing  upon  the  food  that  was  set  on  her  little 
table,  they  would  scofi"  at  her;  so  she  decided 
to  ask  her  blessing  in  silence  and  none  would 
know  about  it.  Then  her  conscience  troubled 
her  with  the  thought  that  she  had  been  ashamed 


Sawayama' s  Ministry.  97 

to  confess  the  Saviour  who  had  done  so  much 
for  her  before  men.  So,  though  the  dinner  was 
very  fine,  she  ate  it  in  bitterness  and  sorrow. 
As  soon  as  dinner  was  over  she  left,  without 
staying  to  play  with  the  children,  but  went 
right  home  with  a  heavy  heart.  She  did  not  as 
usual  tell  her  parents  of  the  fine  feast  that  she 
had  attended. 

Soon  her  father  suspected  that  something  was 
wrong,  and  he  asked  his  little  daughter  what 
she  had  done,  and  she  confessed  all  and  how 
she  was  ashamed  to  acknowledge  Christ  before 
those  worldly  people.  Then  they  kneeled  to- 
gether and  she  confessed  her  sin  before  God. 
Soon  after  she  was  received  into  the  Church, 
and  she  is  now  a  good  and  happy  girl. 

In  connection  with  this  same  deacon,  who 
was  a  druggist,  I  will  give  you  an  account  of 
another  remarkable  conversion :  — 

One  night  one  of  his  clerks,  a  young  man  of 
eighteen  or  nineteen  years  of  age,  came  in 
great  distress  and  earnestness  to  him  to  know 
what  he  should  do  to  escape  the  wrath  to  come. 
The  deacon,  seeing  the  great  earnestness  of  the 
young  man,  was  perplexed,  and  said  to  him: 
"  You  are  in  great  earnest,  and  if  I  should  not 
direct  you  right,  it  would  be  a  great  pity.  We 
have  a  pastor,  and  you  would  better  wait  till 


98  A  Modern  Paul 

to-morrow  and  see  him."  The  young  man 
said:  **You  cannot  assure  me  that  I  will  live 
until  to-morrow." 

The  deacon  knew  that  the  pastor,  who  was  in 
feeble  health,  had  held  an  evening  service  and 
was  sorry  to  have  to  arouse  him  in  the  dead 
of  the  night;  but  as  he  could  not  guarantee 
another  day's  probation,  he  hired  a  jinrikisha 
and  sent  the  young  man  to  the  pastor's  home. 
He  came  to  me  and  the  first  words  he  said  were 
the  very  words  of  the  jailer  of  Philippi:  '^  What 
must  I  do  to  be  saved?"  I  directed  him  with  a 
few  words  and  in  the  simplest  way  possible  to 
Christ,  and  that  he  should  cast  himself  upon 
him.  We  prayed  together,  and  he  went  home 
with  a  different  heart,  and  ever  since  he  has 
proved  the  reality  of  the  change  by  a  life  of 
earnest  work  for  Christ. 

I  will  next  give  you  an  account  of  the  conver- 
sion of  several  girls.  On  a  Sunday  afternoon 
a  sermon  was  preached  from  Heb.  3:7,  8: 
''Therefore  the  Holy  Ghost  says,  To-day  if  you 
will  hear  his  voice,  harden  not  your  heart." 
That  evening  there  was  evidence  of  an  awaken- 
ing among  the  girls  of  our  boarding  school. 
Next  morning  I  received  a  letter  from  one  of 
the  lady  teachers.  Miss  Gardiner  or  Miss  Colby, 
saying  that  several  of  the  girls  were  under  con- 


Sawayama's  Ministry,  99 

viction  of  sin,  and  were  unable  to  jiursue  their 
duties  and  wanted  to  see  me.  She  hoped  that 
I  would  come  and  assist  in  directing  them 
toward  the  light.  I  went,  and  calling  one  by- 
one  those  who  were  thus  awakened,  did  what  I 
could  to  show  them  the  way  of  salvation  in 
their  several  conditions,  and  prayed  with  each 
one.  All  these  girls,  of  ages  from  ten  to  fifteen 
years,  have  since  united  with  different  churches 
in  Osaka. 

Mr.  Sawayama  wrote  to  the  writer  at 
one  time  about  his  work  at  Sanda,  a  coun- 
try church,  which  shows  us  another  fea- 
ture of  his  preaching  :  — 

While  I  was  at  Arima  two  deacons  of  Sanda 
church  came  to  me  and  asked  me  to  preach 
there.  I  asked  about  the  condition  of  the 
church,  and  they  said  that  the  work  of  God  was 
declining  and  all  Christians  were  sleeping.  I 
went  there  last  Friday  and  I  preached  that 
night.  Next  morning  the  acting  pastor  called 
on  me  and  he  asked  me  to  preach  to  un- 
christian s  from  that  day.  The  reason  why 
he  expressed  such  a  desire  was  that  the  sermon 
which  I  preached  reflected  very  severely  upon 
them.    Therefore  they  wanted  me  to  preach  to 


100  A  Modern  Paul 

unchristians,  as  they  had  some  feeling  against 
the  truth.  I  answered  that  I  preach  the  truths 
of  the  Bible;  and  I  think  the  sermons  must 
be  impressive  to  Christians  as  well  as  to  un- 
christians. Therefore  I  cannot  preach  such  a 
sermon  as  to  make  an  impression  only  on  unchris- 
tians. If  unchristians  read  the  Bible,  they  will 
fear  and  repent,  and  if  Christians  study  it,  they 
will  advance  in  their  virtues.  And  I  explained 
to  him  about  the  true  preaching.  Then  he  was 
impressed  and  confessed  the  convictions  which 
he  had  had  since  he  heard  my  first  sermon. 
And  he  confessed  his  selfishness  and  sins,  and 
he  said  he  is  unworthy,  not  only  to  be  acting 
pastor  but  to  be  a  church  member.  Therefore 
he  wished  to  resign  his  pastorship  and  member- 
ship, and  he  would  join  the  church  again 
after  his  true  conversion;  and  he  shed  many 
tears.  Then  the  deacons  repented  with  tears, 
and  ladies  also  confessed  their  sins  and  sur- 
rendered all  things  to  God.  I  preached  and 
held  prayer-meetings  during  a  week,  and  many 
were  converted.  I  thought  I  would  stay  there 
longer,  but  I  was  obliged  to  leave  there  to 
look  after  some  publishing. 

And  yet  his  deeds  were  more  powerful 
than  liis  words.    Many  came  to  his  bedside 


Sawayarnas  Ministry.  101 

to  comfort  liiiii ;  all  received  from  him 
such  courage  aud  inspiration  that  he  was 
even  more  than  ever  a  power  in  his  church. 
I  myself  visited  him  at  the  hospital  often, 
making  the  trips  from  a  distant  mission 
field  for  the  purpose  of  bringing  him  com- 
fort in  his  illness.  But  he  needed  no 
comfort ;  indeed  he  gave  to  me,  I  thought, 
infinitely  more  than  I  gave  to  him.  Just 
before  I  left  him  he  raised  his  heavy  body 
and  took  from  the  bureau  his  one  cloak 
and  handed  it  to  me,  asking  me  to  give  it 
to  a  poor  Christian  brother  in  the  place 
where  I  was  preaching.  Lately  Mr.  Na- 
kaye,  my  intimate  friend,  wrote  me  about 
a  similar  act.     He  says  :  — 

"  I  called  on  Mr.  Sawayama  in  the  hos- 
pital with  my  friend  some  time  in  the  year 
1886.  When  we  left  him  he  handed  us 
an  awase  (a  Japanese  long  dress  which 
can  easily  be  remade  into  a  lady's  cloak), 

and  said  to  us :  'I  heard  that  Mrs, , 

(who  is  a  widow  and  has  several  chil- 
dren) has  been  absent  from  church  quite 


102  A  Modern  Paul 

often.  I  suppose  she  wants  a  new  dress, 
but  she  cannot  buy  one,  as  she  is  poor; 
therefore  she  does  not  attend  church 
often,  from  the  sense  of  shame.  Will  you 
please,  dear  brethren,  bring  this  to  that 
lady  and  tell  her  to  make  a  new  dress 
of  this  and  attend  church?" 

"  I  think,"  Mr.  Nakaye  continues,  "  those 
who  received  more  love  and  attentions 
from  him  were  the  poor  and  lowest  class. 
Who  does  not  know  this  duty?  But 
how  many  ministers  practiced  this  truth 
as  Mr.  Sawayama  did  ?  " 

I  remember  mau}^  such  cases  in  which 
he  seemed  absolutely  to  forget  his  own 
illness  in  thinking  how  he  could  help 
some  one  else.  At  one  time  he  wrote  to 
a  sick  lady  from  his  sick  bed  thus :  "  I 
have  deep  sympathy  with  3^ou ;  but  as  it 
says  in  the  Bible,  '  Everything  works 
for  good,'  everything  is  for  the  glory 
of  God,  profit  of  our  soul,  and  happiness 
of  the  future  life.  Therefore  we  are 
very  happy  to  trust  in  the  hand  of  God, 


Sawayamah  Ministry,  103 

saying,  'Not  as  I  will,  but  as  thou 
wilt.'" 

He  was  a  man  of  prayer  and  devotion. 
He  believed  that  everything,  in  God's 
providence,  was  working  to  perform  the 
will  of  God.  He  prayed  with  a  simple 
faith.  Almost  childlike  in  his  trust,  he 
seemed  never  to  doubt  that  his  prayer 
would  be  fulfilled.  One  day  he  expected 
to  go  to  the  mission  field  of  his  Naniwa 
Church,  but  he  had  no  money.  He  told 
nobody  his  need,  but,  having  prayed  that 
he  might  have  money  enough  to  enable 
him  to  make  the  visit,  he  went  on  at  his 
work,  seemingly  with  an  entire  confidence 
that  the  need  would  be  met.  Very  late 
that  night  a  poor  Christian  woman  came 
to  him  and  handed  him  some  money,  say- 
ing that  she  had  earned  it  unexpectedly 
that  day  and  wanted  to  offer  it  for  the  mis- 
sion work.  A  little  later  another  came 
in  with  another  contribution. 

Mr.  Sawayama  was  thankful,  as  he 
always  was,  but  he  was  not  surprised;  it 


104  A  Modern  Paul 

was  just  what  he  had  expected ;  how  other- 
wise ?  He  went  to  the  mission  field,  paid 
all  his  expenses,  and  returned,  finding  that 
the  gift  had  just  equaled  his  expenditure. 
Rev.  Mr.  Miyagawa,  who  is  one  of  the 
first  graduates  of  Dr.  Neesima's  institu- 
tion, pastor  of  one  of  the  churches  of 
Osaka,  and  one  of  the  leaders  of  the 
religious  movement  in  Japan,  writes  in 
The  Christian,  of  Tokyo,  referring  to  Mr. 
Sawayama's  prayers,  as  follows  (transla- 
tion) :  — 

I  have  noticed  that  while  Mr.  Sawayama  was 
pastor  of  the  Naniwa  Church  there  existed  a 
strong  union  in  the  church,  and  they  undertook 
mission  and  educational  work  with  enthusiasm ; 
also  that  they  went  ahead  of  all  other  churches 
with  the  banner  of  independence  and  self- 
support,  and  that  when  their  representatives 
appeared  at  the  annual  conference  of  Kumi-ai 
churches  they  insisted  upon  the  duty  of  self- 
support  with  a  burning  spirit  which  seemed  to 
move  the  whole  meeting  so  that  nobody  could 
withstand  it.  I  thought  secretly  that  Mr.  Sawa- 
yama must  have  been  at  work  in  all  the  atiairs 


Sawayama^s  Ministry,  105 

of  the  church  very  busily  from  early  morning 
to  late  at  night  every  day,  feeling  the  shortness 
of  the  time ;  but  when  I  came  to  the  church  of 
Osaka,  which  was  situated  near  by  his  church, 
I  learned  that  he  had  had  consumption  for  a 
long  time  and  had  been  obliged  to  lie  on  his 
sick  bed  about  two  thirds  of  the  year,  and  that 
he  could  not  attend  to  the  large  part  of  the 
affairs  of  the  church. 

Then  the  following  questions  arose  in  my 
mind  and  I  could  not  answer  them  for  a  long 
while;  namely.  With  what  kind  of  magnetic 
power  can  he  manage  his  church  so  successfully 
all  the  time  ?  Can  he  move  his  church  members 
as  he  can  control  his  fingers  by  his  will,  by  the 
skillf  ulness  of  conversation  and  social  excellency, 
as  he  is  a  Yamaguchian  i ;  or  does  he  attract  all 
people  by  his  amiable  manners?  But  when  he 
departed  from  us  we  found  a  list  of  the  names 
of  his  church  members,  by  which  he  used  to  pray 
to  our  Father  for  individual  members  every 
morning  and  evening,  sometimes  shedding 
bloody  tears.  This  list  must  have  been  kept 
for  many  years,  because  it  was  stained  with  his 
much  handling.  In  some  parts  the  letters  were 
indiscernible,  it  was  so  black.    I  thought,  This 

1  The  Jap.inese  people  regardetl  the  people  of  Yamaguchi 
province  as  a  gracious,  social  people. 


106  A  Modern  Paul 

much-used  list  is  a  monument  telling  of  his 
appeal  to  the  Father  for  every  member  of  his 
church  by  name.  From  this  also  I  received  the 
answer  to  all  my  questions  concerning  him,  that 
the  secret  of  his  success  was  in  prayer. 

Mr.  Sawayama  says  in  his  letters :  —  "I 
am  now  sick  in  the  hospital,  so  I  cannot 
work  much ;  but  I  am  praying  constantly 
and  the  work  of  my  church  is  blessed. 
Please  pray  for  my  work,  which  is  God's." 

"  My  great  joy  cf  yesterday  was  that  I 
found  in  the  church  a  lately  backsliding 
man  for  whom  I  have  been  praying  much. 
When  the  service  was  over  I  went 
straightway  to  speak  a  few  loving  words 
to  him  with  much  joy  in  my  heart,  though 
I  could  not  exchange  words  with  others, 
as  the  time  was  late  and  I  ought  to  be 
back  to  the  hospital  very  quickly ;  and  I 
said  to  myself  in  heart,  '  He  was  lost  and 
is  found.' " 

A  young  man  for  whom  Mr.  Sawayama 
was  praying  was  converted  as  follows,  as 
reported  in  one  of  his  letters ;  — 


Sawayama^s  Ministry.  107 

A  young  man  in  the  employ  of  another  of  our 
deacons  decided  to  leave  his  place.  He  had  no 
good  reason  for  doing  so,  and  was  trying  to  get 
away  from  Christian  influence,  as  his  conscience 
seemed  to  be  troubling  him.  His  Christian 
friends  urged  him  not  to  go,  but  in  spite  of 
all  he  left,  and  went  away  seeking  employment 
elsewhere.  He  soon  fell  in  with  an  old  friend 
whom  he  had  not  met  for  years,  and  before 
long  told  him  that  he  wanted  work.  ''  Come 
with  me,"  said  his  friend;  ''I  know  a  good 
place  for  you." 

He  went  to  his  friend's  lodging,  but  in  the 
night  several  policeman  entered,  making  sev- 
eral arrests  and  closing  the  house.  The  poor 
young  man  found  himself  in  jail  under  arrest 
for  gambling,  and  his  friend  proved  to  be  a 
gambler  and  the  house  where  he  had  stopped 
a  gambling  house. 

In  the  morning  some  food  was  brought  to 
him,  and  as  had  been  the  custom  at  the  house  at 
Osaka  he  bowed  his  head  in  thanksgiving  to  God. 
He  also  prayed  most  earnestly  that  God  would 
deliver  him  from  the  prison.  He  acknowledged 
that  he  knew  these  sufierings  were  sent  him  for 
having  tried  to  run  away  from  his  duty;  that 
he  now  humbled  himself  before  God  and  was 
ready  to  follow  wherever  he  might  lead  him. 


108  A  Modern  Paul 

Soon  after  he  was  taken  before  a  policeman, 
who  questioned  him.  The  young  man  said  he 
knew  nothing  of  the  business  of  his  friend,  as 
he  had  come  from  Osaka  but  the  day  before, 
and  that  while  he  was  in  Osaka  he  was  in  the 
employ  of  a  Christian  and  that  he  surely  was 
not  a  gambler.  AVhen  he  said  he  had  been  in 
a  Christian  family,  the  policeman  said,  "  I  can 
soon  tell  whether  you  are  telling  the  truth  or 
not,  as  I  know  something  of  the  Christian  work 

in  Osaka.    Where  is  the church? "    To  this 

the  young  man  replied  correctly.     "  Who  is  its 

pastor?    Where  is  church  and  who  is  its 

pastor?"  etc.  The  young  man  showed  by  his 
replies  that  he  knew  all  about  them.  He  was 
therefore  released  and  came  back  to  Osaka  a 
penitent  man,  full  of  thanksgiving  to  God  for 
so  plainly  showing  him  his  duty.  He  is  still  a 
very  earnest  Christian. 

Mr.  Sawayama  was  very  fond  of  pray- 
ing with  two  or  three  brethren,  and  the 
prayer-meeting  was  a  great  delight  to  him. 
His  mind  and  his  body  were  equally  active. 
If  he  could  pray  with  some  one,  he  would 
come  down  from  his  sick  bed  and  kneel  by 
a  chair.     Sometimes  prayer-meetings  were 


Sawayama's  Ministry.  109 

held  early  in  the  morning.  He  attended 
like  an  entirely  well  man.  The  prayer- 
meetings  in  his  church  were  therefore 
always  well  attended  and  always  enthu- 
siastic. During  the  revival  they  were  as 
large  as  the  Sunday  congregations.  When 
Mr.  Sawayama  was  very  seriously  sick, 
prayer-meetings  were  held  for  him ;  and  I 
recall  how  all  were  so  moved  that  no  one 
could  trust  his  voice  to  speak. 

Mr.  Sawayama's  principle  in  regard  to 
contributions  —  not  merely  his  maxim  but 
his  principle  —  was,  "  It  is  more  blessed  to 
give  than  to  receive."  He  held  that  the 
accompaniment  of  the  thankful  spirit  was 
an  essential  part  of  giving ;  and  that  his 
church  might  never  give  from  a  sense  of 
obligation  or  of  shame,  but  from  a  thank- 
ful heart,  he  never  persuaded  or  even 
asked  anyone  to  give.  He  was  himself  a 
very  methodical  man,  and  gave  two  tenths 
of  his  income  to  the  church  every  month ; 
he  also  gave  one  tenth  of  all  the  gifts 
which  he  had   received   from  his   friends 


1 10  A  Modern  Paul 

during  his  illness.  This  spirit  could  not 
but  influence  his  church,  and  they  offered 
more  than  one  tenth  with  thankful  hearts. 
No  member  ever  complained  of  the  burden 
of  self-support;  all  were  courageous  and 
confident.  The  giving  capacity  of  the 
church  increased  wonderfully.  Many  in- 
creased greatly  the  proportion  of  their 
contributions  with  the  increase  in  their 
incomes.  I  remember  one  man  who  in 
the  beginning  could  offer  but  sixty  cents 
a  month,  which  was  one  tenth  of  his  in- 
come; but  at  the  end  of  five  years  he 
gave  twenty  dollars  a  month.  Another 
could  offer  at  first  only  fifty  cents  a 
month ;  at  the  end  of  five  years  he  gave 
fifteen  dollars  every  month.  But  Mr. 
Sawayama's  ideas  and  methods  will  ap- 
pear more  fully  in  his  speech. 

And  not  only  did  he  know  the  way  of 
giving,  but  he  knew  also  how  to  receive 
and  how  to  thank,  as  the  following  letters 
will  show. 


Sawayama^s  Ministry.  Ill 

To  Mrs.  Boutell :  — 

Osaka,  October  7,  1878. 

I  have  received  twice  your  kind  letters  since  I 
have  been  married,  which  inform  me  that  you 
are  going  to  send  some  presents  to  us  for  our 
home  comforts.  By  receiving  this  news,  how 
much  I  felt  grateful  to  you  all  and  to  God  who 
gave  me  such  kind  friends  as  you  are,  I  cannot 
express.  I  have  forsaken  all  and  followed  the 
Lord  in  putting  myself  in  this  position.  .  .  . 
Great  self-denial  is  necessary  and  I  determined 
to  follow  the  steps  of  the  Lord,  who  on  earth 
**  had  not  where  to  lay  his  head,"  and  so  I  could 
not  have  much  comfort  in  this  life,  I  thought ; 
therefore  what  a  grateful  thing  to  me  these 
presents  of  my  friends  are  you  can  imagine.  I 
have  not  yet  received  the  box,  but  when  I  shall 
receive  it  I  will  write  to  the  friends  to  thank 
you  all  and  tell  them  more  thoroughly  about  the 
condition  of  my  life  and  household,  etc.  I  am 
now  waiting  anxiously  for  the  box. 

Mrs.  Boutell,  I  would  like  to  thank  you  in  this 
connection  for  the  things  of  which  you  made 
me  presents  while  I  was  at  your  home.  Shirts, 
coats,  drawers,  and  other  things  have  been  ex- 
ceedingly useful  to  me.  Since  I  came  back  I 
have  not  bought  anything  and  of  course  I  had 
no  means  to  buy.   All  these  things  your  presents 


112  A  Modern  Paul 

supplied,  and  many  of  them  will  last  all  my 
life,  I  think,  if  the  Lord  will  take  me  before 
very  many  years.  To  these  add  the  presents  of 
this  time,  we  shall  be  very  comfortable. 

To  Mrs.  Packard!  — 

Osaka,  November  18,  1878. 
A  few  weeks  ago  we  received  the  box  of 
many  presents  from  ladies.  I  thank  you  for 
the  beautiful  book  which  you  sent  us  with  them. 
When  we  received  the  book  I  read  it,  together 
with  my  wife,  and  we  talked  to  each  other  about 
the  vanity  of  this  world  and  the  blessedness  of 
Christ's  abiding  with  us,  and  thanked  God  in 
our  hearts  that  by  the  grace  of  God  we  are  now 
what  we  are.  The  book  is  now  on  our  i^arlor 
table  and  it  is  admired  by  all  who  come  to  see 
it  as  well  as  by  us  daily.  I  ask  you  to  thank  for 
us  the  church  for  the  money  which  they  gave 
us.  It  will  help  us  in  a  great  many  ways  to  get 
our  comforts  for  the  Lord's  work. 

To  Mrs.  Boutell;  — 

Osaka,  February  10,  1880. 
Mr.  De  Forest  received  fifty   dollars   from 
you  as  the  gift  from  your  church  to  me.    I 
always  feel  very  grateful  for  the  thousand  kind- 
nesses of  you  and  the  friends  there.    I  enclose 


Sawayama^s  Ministry.  113 

the  letter  to  the  church  to  thank  them  for  the 
money.  This  much  money  came  to  me  so  unex- 
pectedly in  the  time  of  necessity,  as  I  feel,  and 
I  told  the  church  members  the  other  evening,  as 
though  it  was  manna  from  heaven. 

To  Mrs.  Boutell :  — 

Osaka,  November  2,  1884. 

Thank  you  very  much  for  forwarding  five- 
dollar  note,  which  Mrs.  E.  L.  Brown  kindly 
sent  for  me  enclosed  in  your  letter.  I  thank 
Mrs.  Brown  very  much  that  she  should  re- 
member me  in  that  way. 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Packard :  — 

Osaka,  April  12,  1881. 

I  take  opportunity  to  send  you  a  tetsubin  or 
iron  teakettle  by  Mr.  Leavitt,  who  is  going  back 
to  America  with  his  family.  Tetsubin  is  one  of 
the  most  popular  things  in  Japanese  homes  of 
the  middle  class  upward.  They  think  that  it  is 
almost  necessary  thing  for  their  own  enjoyment 
and  also  entertainment  of  others.  If  you  should 
enter  a  Japanese  house,  you  will  tetsubin  find 
always  over  charcoal  fire  and  water  boiling  in  it. 
They  make  tea  all  the  time  with  the  water  for 
themselves  and  others  who  may  call  on  them. 

I  present  this  to  you,  as  you  might  use  this  on 


11-1:  A  Modern  Paul 

your  table,  when  you  take  tea  or  coffee.  The 
form  of  the  kettle  itself  is  meant  as  a  piece  of 
rock  and  crabs  are  on  the  face  of  both  sides, 
climbing  up  of  the  rock;  rough  bottom  of  the 
inside  of  the  kettle  is  purposely  made  for 
musical  sound  when  the  water  is  boiling  in  it. 
For  keeping  it  nice,  please  throw  water  occa- 
sionally all  over  the  face  of  kettle  when  it  is  very 
hot,  so  that  the  water  might  instantly  dry  away. 
By  this  way  you  could  keep  the  color  of  the  iron 
looking  nice.  Never  rub  it  hard  with  anything. 
At  first,  the  water  boiled  in  it  may  have  iron 
taste,  but  it  will  be  good  by-and-by. 

Mr.  Sawayama  was,  withal,  a  man  of 
childlike  simplicity  and  great  humility.  He 
never  disputed  with  anyone.  He  met  with 
much  decided  opposition  in  his  methods  of 
self-support ;  but  if  at  any  time  he  could 
not  avoid  expressing  his  convictions,  lie 
expressed  them  in  such  a  gentle  manner 
that  no  one  cared  to  enter  into  controversy 
with  him.  He  was  so  truly  humble  that 
he  never  criticized  others.  In  the  follow- 
ing letter  the  reader  will  see  how  humble 
he  was  before  God  and  men. 


Sawayama's  Ministry.  115 

To  Mrs.  Naruse  (translation)  :  — 

Osaka,  January  11,  1885. 

I  thank  you  for  your  kind  letter  and  I  am  very 
glad  to  know  that  your  faith,  love,  and  patience 
are  increasing.  I  have  read  your  letter  several 
times  and  given  thanks  and  prayed.  I  ought 
to  have  answered  at  once,  but  as  the  weather 
grows  colder  my  breathing  becomes  more  diffi- 
cult; so  I  have  delayed  to  take  my  pen.  But  I 
preached  on  the  last  Sunday  of  last  year  and  I 
was  able  to  preach  again  on  the  first  Sunday  of 
this  year,  so  I  am  not  very  badly  off. 

You  wrote  me  about  the  deepness  of  your 
sins  and  your  unworthiness  to  serve  God.  I 
think  this  is  one  sign  of  the  increase  of  the 
grace  of  God.  I  will  tell  you  of  one  or  two 
of  my  experiences  through  which  I  have  passed 
since  the  attack  of  last  year.  Last  October, 
while  I  was  sick  in  bed,  I  felt  the  coldness  of 
my  love  to  God  and  to  my  brethren,  and  I  was 
very  sorry.  And  I  prayed  that  my  love  might 
be  increased. 

Though  I  expected  that  God  would  make  my 
love  to  him  and  to  the  brethren  burn  in  my 
heart  contrary  to  my  hope,  I  only  felt  the  deep- 
ness of  my  sin  and  my  inferiority  to  my  breth- 
ren. So  after  I  had  had  this  feeling  for  a  time 
I  realized  that  ^'I  am  the  chief  of  sinners." 


116  A  Modern  Paul, 

And  at  the  same  time  I  understood  that  it  was 
not  only  in  the  experience  of  humility  that  St. 
Paul  said,  *'  I  am  the  chief  of  sinners,"  but  he 
felt  it  was  really  so.  From  this  time  I  was  im- 
pressed especially  with  the  greatness  of  the 
grace  of  God  toward  such  a  sinner  as  I  am, 
the  chief  sinner,  and  I  esteemed  and  valued 
very  highly  my  brethren  as  I  saw  their  worthi- 
ness, goodness,  and  righteousness.  Thus  my 
adoration  and  love  toward  God  and  my  brethren 
increased  and  my  heart  was  filled  with  good  and 
pleasant  thoughts. 

So  you  see  my  mistake.  At  first  I  could  not 
understand  the  answer  of  God  to  my  prayers. 
If  the  feeling  of  love  to  God  and  to  my  breth- 
ren had  burned  in  my  heart,  it  would  have  dis- 
appeared very  soon,  as  it  was  only  feeling.  But 
my  experience  was  not  a  vain  feeling,  but  based 
on  firm  reason,  because  my  love  to  God  increased 
from  the  knowledge  of  the  deepness  of  my  sins 
and  the  greatness  of  the  grace  and  love  of  God. 
And  as  to  the  love  of  the  brethren,  this  burned 
more  deeply  because  of  my  honor  and  respect 
for  their  virtues.  Then  I  was  impressed  with 
those  words  which  Christ  spoke:  ''Wherefore 
I  say  unto  you,  her  sins,  which  are  many,  are 
forgiven ;  for  she  loved  much ;  but  to  whom  little 
is  forgiven,  the  same  loveth  little  "  (Luke  7 :  47). 


Sawayama's  Ministry.  117 

And  the  other  day,  having  been  reading  the 
Revelation,  I  found  at  many  places  the  word 
repent  in  the  second  and  third  chapters.  I 
thought  that  these  words  were  spoken  to  those 
who  sinned  or  became  cold  after  their  conver- 
sion and  some  of  them  had  committed  great  sins ; 
but  God  promised  to  give  his  grace  to  them  if 
they  would  repent,  even  such  sinners.  So  I  can 
believe  surely  that  we  can  receive  his  remission 
of  sins  which  are  committed  after  conversion, 
if  we  truly  repent,  though  they  are  terrible 
things  and  we  doubt  the  remission  even  after 
repentance.  In  the  early  morning  of  the  first 
of  last  December,  as  soon  as  I  awaked,  I  met  a 
temptation  of  the  devil.  He  said  to  my  heart: 
**Paul,  do  you  not  remember  that  you  were 
lying  in  this  hospital  last  December  too  ?  You 
have  spent  almost  all  of  your  time  this  year  in  the 
hospital  on  this  sick  bed  and  you  have  not  been 
at  work  for  God  but  have  only  been  lying  down 
here.  What  do  you  think  of  this  day?  Is  it 
not  the  first  day  of  December?  You  say  you 
have  sacrificed  yourself  to  God,  but  you  have 
not  attended  to  your  church  and  have  not 
preached.  Don't  you  feel  sorry?  See  the  other 
pastors  I  They  are  working  successfully  for  the 
propagation  of  the  kingdom  of  God." 

Thus  I  began  to  feel  very  sad ;  but  very  soon 


118  A  Moderyi  Paul. 

good  tidings  came  to  my  mind  through  the 
Holy  Ghost  because  of  these  words  of  Christ 
(Luke  10  :  17-20),  when  the  seventy  returned 
with  joy  because  of  their  success  in  preaching : 
Jesus  said:  '* Rejoice  not  in  this/'  which  is 
changeable  according  to  the  conditions  of  life, 
but  "rather  rejoice  because  your  names  are 
written  in  heaven."  This  idea  drove  away 
immediately  the  temptation  of  the  devil  and  I 
thought  with  glad  feelings  that  I  am  an 
unworthy  servant;  but  by  the  great  mercy 
of  the  Father  I  was  born  into  the  kingdom  of 
heaven  and  I  am  now  a  citizen  of  that  kingdom 
and  no  one  can  take  from  me  this  joy. 

The  hap2nness  in  this  world. 

"  Surely  goodness  and  mercy  shall  follow  me 
all  the  days  of  my  life." 

The  happiness  in  the  future  world. 

"  I  will  dwell  in  the  house  of  the  Lord  for 
ever"  (Ps.  23:6). 

At  one  time  Mr.  Sawayama  had  been 
praying  for  a  revival.  It  did  not  come. 
He  imagined  that  the  fault  was  in  himself, 
so  he  consecrated  himself  anew  to  his 
work.  After  this  experience  he  addressed 
a  woman's  meeting,  in  which  the  interest 


Sawayama's  3Iinhtry.  119 

at  once  became  so  great  that  it  was  turned 
into  an  inquiry  meeting.  Many  went 
away  and  related  their  experience  to 
others.  This  was  the  beginning  of  a 
revival.  All  the  students  in  the  girls' 
school  were  converted  and  began  new 
lives. 

Mr.  Sawayama  held  a  prayer-meeting 
and  a  preaching  service  every  day.  The 
church  was  always  filled.  After  the  ser- 
mon there  would  be  an  inquiry  meeting. 
This  was  the  first  religious  revival  in 
Japan.  At  this  time  I  tried  to  write  to 
the  Christian  paper  an  account  of  this 
movement,  but  Mr.  Sawayama  would  not 
allow  me  to  do  so.  He  shrank  from  any- 
thing which  resembled  praise. 

Notwithstanding  his  strong  revivalistic 
spirit,  his  methods  in  revivals  were  above 
reproach.  He  never  urged  people,  he 
never  scolded  about  people's  sins,  he  never 
made  people  feel  uncomfortable  by  em- 
ploying artifices  to  induce  them  to  con- 
fess their  sins.     His  conduct  at  such  times, 


120  A  Modern  Paul 

and  indeed  always,  was  natural  and  quiet, 
with  an  element  of  dignity.  He  could 
accommodate  himself,  apparently  without 
effort,  to  all  kinds  of  people. 


CHAPTER   IV. 

HOME   MISSION    WOEK  ;   HIS    SPEECH   AT 
THE   GREAT   CONFEKENCE. 


R.  SAWAYAMA'S  persistent  ex- 
ample gradually  influenced  many 
Japanese  churches.  The  most  of 
the  Congregational  (or  Kumi-ai)  churches 
are  self-supporting,  and  many  of  other 
denominations.  Mr.  Sawayama  also  in- 
sisted that  this  same  principle  should 
extend  to  the  Home  Mission  work,  but 
in  this  he  was  not  seconded  by  the  major- 
ity ;  so  the  Home  Mission  work  is  sup- 
ported in  part  by  the  native  churches  and 
in  part  by  the  American  Board. 

Mr.  Sawayama  says  in  his  letter  about 
the  beginning  of  the  Japanese  Home 
Missionary  Society  :  — 

"  On  the  second  and  third  of  February, 
1878,  we  had  a  general  church  conference 
in   the   girls'    school   of    Osaka.     In   this 

121 


122  A  Modern  Paul 

conference  we  formed  the  Home  Mission- 
ary Society,  and  Mr.  Neesima  and  Mr. 
Imamura,  of  Kobe,  and  myself  were  ap- 
pointed as  committee  to  manage  the  entire 
affairs  of  the  society." 

The  mission  work  was  divided  into  two 
departments :  that  which  was  carried  on 
in  fields  remote  from  the  churches,  and 
the  local  mission  of  each  church.  The 
rule  was  followed  that  the  more  remote 
fields  should  draw  eight  tenths  of  their 
support  from  the  American  Board  and 
two  tenths  from  the  native  churches ;  the 
expenses  of  the  local  missions  were  paid 
in  a  different  proportion,  six  tenths  by  the 
Board  and  four  tenths  by  the  native 
churches.^  But  Mr.  Sawayama's  church 
did  not  receive  any  pecuniary  aid  what- 
ever from  the  Board  from  the  beginning. 

The  local  mission  field  of  the  Naniwa 
Church  was  the  province  of  Yamato. 
One  of  his  church  members,  who  decided 

1  But  now  about  half  is  paid  by  the  native  churches,  and 
the  other  half  by  the  American  Board.  The  proportion 
varies  from  year  to  year. 


Home  Mission  Work.  123 

in  the  revival  to  become  a  preacher,  began 
his  preaching  there.  He  preached  several 
times  in  the  theater  of  Koriyama  city. 
Many  were  interested.  One  man  in  par- 
ticular was  much  impressed,  but  he  shared 
the  doubts  and  suspicions  which  almost 
all  the  people  felt  toward  the  work.  He 
thought  that  perhaps  the  preacher  was 
preaching  for  the  sake  of  money ;  so  he 
tested  him  in  various  ways.  He  invited 
him  to  dinner  at  his  home  to  test  whether 
he  was  selfish  or  not.  He  called  on  him  at 
his  lodgings  to  find  out  his  private  conduct. 
He  found  that  the  preacher  received  no 
money  except  for  his  expenses,  and  that  he 
was  supported  entirely  by  native  Christians. 
His  prejudices  were  removed.  He  was  sur- 
prised at  the  self-sacrificing  spirit  of  the 
preacher  and  the  native  Christians,  who 
had  sent  him  there.  Soon  afterwards  he 
became  a  Christian  and  began  to  offer 
something  for  the  work. 

At  the  same  time  one  old  lady  became 
a   very  good    Christian,    and   gave   much 


124  A  Modern  Paul 

money  for  the  church  and  its  benevolent 
work.  She  helped  very  many  of  the 
poorer  people.  After  about  one  year  a 
church  of  thirty  members  was  organized. 
A  house  was  bought  and  was  rebuilt  to 
meet  the  purposes  of  a  church.  All  the 
members  contributed  money  and  work. 

As  soon  as  the  work  was  completed, 
some  hater  of  Christianity  wrote  some 
insulting  words  on  the  white  wall  of  the 
church.  They  were  written  in  large  let- 
ters and  were  spread  over  every  blank 
space  between  the  windows,  as  if  they 
had  been  the  motto  of  the  church.  The 
Christians  did  not  erase  them. 

Mr.  Sawayama  makes  mention  in  a  letter 
of  an  incident  that  occurred  in  this  town :  — 

Among  the  converts  in  that  place  was  a  car- 
penter and  his  wife,  both  very  earnest,  but  un- 
learned people.  One  evening  while  the  wife 
was  preparing  supper  she  tried  to  read  her 
New  Testament,  but  finding  great  difficulty  she 
said  to  herself:  "  There  is  a  precious  treasure  in 
this  book,  and  the  Almighty  God  could  give  me 


Home  Mission  Work.  125 

power  in  some  way  to  understand  this  book." 
So  she  kneeled  down  in  her  kitchen  and 
prayed  aloud.  The  house  was  very  small,  and 
a  traveler  passing  by  heard  her  earnest  prayer 
and  was  much  impressed  and  came  in  and 
asked  to  whom  she  was  speaking.  She  told 
him  that  she  was  a  Christian  and  was  praying 
to  the  Christian  God.  While  she  was  telling 
him  about  her  faith  her  husband  came  home 
from  work  and  they  both  told  him  of  the 
Way. 

He  then  confessed  to  them  that  he  had  hated 
Christianity  and  that  he  was  the  head  of  a  band 
who  were  planning  to  break  up  the  meetings  of 
Christianity  in  his  city,  Nara,  two  and  one-half 
miles  distant.  He  appeared  to  be  much  im- 
pressed by  what  he  heard  from  these  humble 
people  regarding  their  faith  in  Christianity. 
While  we  have  not  heard  anything  further  from 
him,  yet  we  know  that  the  meetings  in  Nara 
have  been  held  undisturbed  from  that  time  to 
this,  and  we  have  lately  had  increased  interest 
in  the  work  there. 

Nara  was  the  capital  of  Japan  in  ancient 
times,  and  many  places  and  buildings  there  are 
3onnected  with  historical  incidents,  and  its 
Daibutsu,  or  great  bronze  image,  is  also  a  very 
famous  thing. 


126  A  Modern  Paul. 

This  lady,  wife  of  the  carpenter,  mas- 
tered enough  of  the  written  language  to 
read  the  Bible  and  to  write  letters  in  the 
Japanese  character  through  her  enthusias- 
tic study  in  her  kitchen  for  a  long  while. 
And  her  husband  worked  for  many  days 
without  any  wages  to  build  our  church. 

Koriyama  was  the  center  of  the  mission 
work  in  the  province  of  Yamato.  At  this 
time  the  Buddhist  and  Shinto  priests 
were  greatly  enraged  against  Christianity, 
as  were  the  people  also.  The  priests 
sought  in  every  town  and  village  to  de- 
stroy Christianity.  I  will  refer  to  a  few 
instances,  that  the  reader  may  see  the  con- 
dition of  the  mission  work. 

One  day  a  preacher  and  two  Christian 
brethren  went  from  the  city  into  a  town 
to  preach.  They  had  secured  a  crowded 
audience,  when  ten  Buddhist  priests  and 
many  young  men  came  in.  After  the 
preaching  the  priests  began  to  dispute 
with  the  Christians.  Their  purpose  was 
to  excite  the  people  and  if  possible  make  an 


Home  Mission  Work,  127 

attack  upon  the  Christians.  But  the  latter 
were  so  calm,  and  answered  them  so  dis- 
creetly that  they  found  it  hard  to  make  an 
opportunity  for  the  attack.  When  their 
anger  was  almost  breaking  forth,  policemen 
came  in  and  offered  their  protection  to  the 
preacher  and  his  companions. 

Several  of  this  audience  became  Chris- 
tians, partly  because  they  were  impressed 
with  the  truth  which  the  preacher  spoke, 
but  more  because  of  their  admiration  for 
the  spirit  and  character  of  the  Christians. 
One  of  those  who  were  converted  was  a 
Shinto  priest  1.  He  was  an  earnest  man, 
and  displayed  to  the  people  the  truth  of 
Christianity  and  the  errors  of  Shintoism. 
He  resigned  his  priesthood  and  returned 
his  degree  to  the  government.  But  the 
people  were  very  angry  with  him  and 
drove  him  from  his  house. 

Another  of  the  converts  was  a  young 
man    whose    conversion    was     extremely 


i  He  came  to  the  meeting  to  protest  against  Christianity, 
but  he  found  truth. 


128  A  Modern  Paul, 

odious  to  his  family.  During  a  call  which 
the  preacher  made  upon  him  his  grand- 
mother came  into  the  room  and  stood 
watching  them.  The  preacher  bowed 
according  to  the  Japanese  custom,  but  the 
old  lady  did  not  respond  by  a  word  or 
even  a  sign.  The  preacher  attempted  to 
speak  to  her,  but  she  covered  her  ears 
with  her  hands.  After  the  preacher  had 
gone  the  old  lady  threw  the  teakettle  at 
her  grandson,  and  threw  his  Bible  and  all 
his  other  religious  books  into  the  fire. 

The  persecution  of  another  young  man 
was  more  disagreeable,  not  to  say  severe. 
The  anger  of  his  parents  was  almost  with- 
out restraint.  He  would  sometimes  be 
struck  with  a  hoe  or  some  similar  imple- 
ment. At  other  times  he  was  pushed  out 
of  his  house  in  entire  nakedness  in  the 
winter  night.  When  he  was  intending  to 
go  to  the  church  to  receive  baptism,  and 
had  gone  into  the  store  to  get  his  cloak, 
his  mother  locked  the  door  from  the  out- 
side.    When  matters  had  come  to  such  a 


Home  Mhsmi  Work.  129 

pass  that  it  was  really  dangerous  for  him 
to  stay  longer  at  home  he  ran  away,  and 
did  not  return  for  a  year.  I  knew  a  girl 
whose  relations  with  her  parents  and 
family  were  entirely  cut  off  for  many 
years,  so  that  she  could  not  even  return  to 
her  home.  But  in  these  and  many  other 
cases  none  of  those  who  had  been  con- 
verted lost  their  Christian  faith. 

This  was  the  condition  in  which  the 
mission  work  in  the  province  of  Yamato 
was  begun. 

I  will  here  give  the  speech,  which  I  have 
already  mentioned  several  times,  which 
Mr.  Sawayama  delivered  before  the  Inter- 
Denominational  Missionary  Conference  in 
Osaka  in  May,  1881,  on  "  The  Self-support 
of  the  Japanese  Native  Church  "  :  — 

I  am  one  of  those  who  believe  that  the  church 
to  which  I  belong  has  received  special  blessing, 
owing  to  the  fact  that  from  the  time  of  the 
founding  of  our  charch  stress  has  been  laid 
upon  the  idea  of  self-support.  And  although 
personally  I  have  had  little  more  than  six  years' 


130  A  Modern  Paul. 

experience  in  the  working  of  the  system,  yet  I 
am  desirous  of  offering  for  the  consideration  of 
the  conference  now  assembled  for  the  purpose 
of  discussing  this  subject  the  results  of  my 
experience. 

To  express  my  own  conviction  on  this  subject, 
I  would  say  that  self-support  (1)  is  in  accord- 
ance with  the  teaching  of  Scripture;  (2)  is 
beneficial  to  the  church ;  (3)  that  if  the  church 
will  in  faith  endeavor  to  carry  out  the  princi- 
ple, it  will  be  found  by  no  means  unattainable. 

We  will  take  these  three  branches  of  my  sub- 
ject in  order : — 

1.  The  support  given  to  the  theory  of  self- 
support  by  the  teaching  of  Scrip)ture. 

Men  of  the  world,  in  accomplishing  anything 
they  set  themselves  to  do,  resort  to  certain 
means.  If  we  look  at  the  matter  now  before 
us  from  the  standpoint  of  ordinary  human  rea- 
son, it  is  very  apparent  that  the  duties  of 
believers  in  Christianity  are  for  the  most  part 
such  as  spring  from  faith ;  and  the  performance 
of  these  duties  that  proceed  from  faith  consti- 
tutes what  we  call  the  doing  of  the  will  of  God, 
and  affords  the  proof  that  we  believe  his  prom- 
ises. It  is  only  when  this  condition  is  fulfilled 
that  the  blessing  upon  which  so  much  depends 
will  be  vouchsafed.    If  we  look  at  things  in 


Home  Mission  Work,  131 

the  light  of  human  reason,  however  great  the 
present  difficulties  may  be,  those  who  are  versed 
in  the  teaching  of  Scripture  should  act  in 
accordance  with  this  teaching  without  the  slight- 
est misgiving.  This  it  is  that  is  spoken  of  as 
^'  walking  by  faith  and  not  by  sight,"  and  only 
when  a  believer  has  this  kind  of  faith  does  he 
begin  to  be  capable  of  doing  work  that  is  pleas- 
ing to  God,  and  only  then  is  he  in  a  position  to 
receive  God's  help ;  for  *'  without  faith  it  is 
impossible  to  please  God."  Faith  then,  and 
faith  alone,  is  the  source  from  which  the  Church 
derives  a  true  spirit  of  self-support. 

If  we  refer  to  the  New  Testament,  we  do  not 
find  that  Christ  on  the  occasion  of  sending  evan- 
gelists out  to  preach  the  gospel  assisted  them 
by  means  of  money.  And  in  reference  to  those 
churches  which  were  founded  by  the  apostles, 
although  we  find  instances  of  the  theory  of  self- 
support  being  acted  upon  by  them,  we  never 
find  cases  in  which  the  opposite  theory  is  re- 
sorted to.  In  point  of  fact,  although  we  find 
that  Paul  collected  money  from  churches  that 
had  been  recently  organized  for  the  purpose  of 
assisting  his  own  countrymen,  we  never  read  that 
the  opposite  of  this  was  done ;  namely,  that  the 
new  churches  were  assisted  financially  by  the 
older  ones.    In  fact,  so  established  a  custom 


132  A  Modern  Paul 

was  it  for  the  churches  to  advance  money  for 
the  purpose  of  assisting  the  apostles  in  their 
work,  that  we  find  Paul  asking  for  forgiveness 
for  not  being  burdensome  to  the  Corinthian 
church  (2  Cor.  12 :  13) ;  that  is,  for  not  asking 
for  pecuniary  help  from  them. 

It  is  clear  enough,  then,  without  further  dis- 
cussion, that  the  principle  of  self-support  was 
the  one  acted  on  in  the  early  Church. 

In  the  Old  Testament  also  we  find  that  the 
rich  and  poor  alike  paid  tithes  to  God,  and  sub- 
scribed toward  the  maintenance  of  the  priests 
and  for  the  keeping  up  of  the  service  of  the 
temple. 

Seeing  then  that  the  principle  of  self-support 
is  one  of  the  great  agencies  of  the  church,  we 
believe  that  the  subscription  of  rich  and  poor 
alike  for  the  maintenance  of  the  church  is 
specially  pleasing  to  God. 

2.  The  benefits  to  the  church  ensured  by  the 
adoption  of  this  plan. 

As  believers  are  bought  with  a  price,  fi'om 
the  day  of  their  repentance  and  belief  nothing 
they  possess  is  their  own,  but  is  all  sacred  to 
God,  to  whom  it  is  presented.  On  knowing, 
then,  what  the  will  of  the  Lord  is,  there  should 
not  be  a  thing  that  they  possess  that  they  are 
not  ready  to  offer  for  the  Lord's  use ;  and  they 


Home  Mission  Work.  133 

should  be  led  and  taught  to  believe  that  it  is 
but  proper  that  their  possessions  should  be 
handed  over  to  the  God  of  all  riches.  It  is 
for  the  most  part  by  the  use  that  people  make 
of  money  that  the  nature  of  their  hearts  is 
known;  by  the  use  of  their  money  they  in- 
fluence their  hearts  for  either  good  or  evil.  In 
the  Bible  it  is  said;  ''The  love  of  money  is  the 
root  of  all  evil "  (1  Tim.  6 :  10)  ;  again, ''  Make  to 
yourselves  friends  of  the  mammon  of  unright- 
eousness "  (Luke  16:9).  If  there  is  anything 
that  is  very  much  bound  up  with  the  purposes 
of  God  in  my  heart,  I  shall  pay  special  attention 
to  the  work  of  impressing  upon  believers  the 
claims  of  this  thing.  The  principle  of  self- 
support,  being  among  believers  the  outcome  of 
faith,  affects  seriously  the  whole  work  of  the 
church.  We  cannot  therefore  agree  with  those 
who  treat  the  whole  subject  of  financial  depend- 
ence or  independence  as  though  it  were  merely 
a  pecuniary  matter  of  small  moment  to  the 
church.  As  such  persons,  however,  are  to  be 
found,  I  shall  now  proceed  to  state  what  advan- 
tages to  the  church  are  to  be  derived  from  the 
principle  of  self-support. 

Paul  said:  ''If  we  have  sown  unto  you  spirit- 
ual things,  is  it  a  great  thing  if  we  shall  reap 
your  carnal  things?  "  (1  Cor.  9:11).    According 


134  A  Modern  Paul. 

to  the  principle  laid  down  here,  the  believer, 
having  received  a  gift  of  more  value  than  all 
the  treasure  of  the  world,  should  gladly  give 
his  carnal  things  for  the  Lord's  service.  If  in 
the  very  commencement  of  missionary  work 
this  is  not  emphasized,  it  is  to  be  feared  that 
gradually  the  great  grace  manifested  in  man's 
salvation  will  be  forgotten,  and  that  believers 
will  not  value  as  they  should  that  state  of  bliss 
to  which  they  are  called.  The  principle  of  self- 
support,  then,  is  the  one  thing  that  is  instrumen- 
tal in  making  each  believer  mindful  of  the  Lord's 
grace  and  the  blessedness  of  his  salvation.  The 
faith  that  men  have  is  manifested  by  means  of 
money,  and  therefore  if  from  the  commence- 
ment people  be  urged  to  give  money  toward  the 
support  of  the  work  of  God,  a  spirit  of  self- 
denial  will  be  produced ;  but  if  the  contrary  be 
the  case,  they  will  gradually  lose  heart  in  the 
work  and  grow  to  be  mean  and  ignoble.  This 
being  so,  those  who  object  to  giving  money  are 
sure  to  be  persons  of  weak  faith  on  to  the  end, 
and  at  last  will  make  shipwreck  of  the  faith 
they  have.  Among  those  who  have  gone  astray 
there  are  numbers  like  this.  If  from  the  very 
first  the  principle  of  self-support  be  insisted  on, 
the  different  bodies  of  Christians  will  look  upon 
their  churches  as  their  own,  and  will  show  great 


Home  Mission  Work.  135 

diligence  in  spreading  the  gospel;  if  they  re- 
ceive support  from  others,  they  will  look  on  the 
Church  as  belonging  to  some  one  else  and  will 
grow  remiss  in  Christian  work. 

I  will  take  an  extreme  case  :  there  is  a  church 
that  is  altogether  supported  by  a  foreign  mis- 
sionary. It  happened  that  the  church  in  which 
they  worshiped  was  in  want  of  a  stove;  see- 
ing that  the  church  itself  had  been  put  up  by  a 
foreign  missionary,  the  members  looked  to  him 
to  provide  the  fittings  required  for  the  church ; 
and  as  they  regarded  the  whole  matter  as  some- 
thing for  which  they  were  in  no  way  respon- 
sible, they  let  things  go  as  they  would  till  the 
foreign  missionary  advanced  money  to  procure 
a  stove,  which  was  then  handed  over  to  the 
church  members  for  them  to  put  up.  The  next 
day  some  of  them  came  to  the  missionary's 
house  and  said  that  they  had  spent  time  the 
day  before  in  putting  up  the  stove,  and  would 
not  the  missionary  give  them  some  remunera- 
tion? and  of  course  all  the  fuel  that  was  re- 
quired for  the  stove  was  paid  for  by  the  foreign 
missionary.  As  a  culmination  of  this  state  of 
things,  the  believers  in  this  church  looked  upon 
the  conversion  of  unbelievers  as  a  work  done 
for  the  benefit  of  the  missionary. 

Unless  great  care  is  taken,  such  believers  as 


136  A  Modern  Paul 

these  will  entirely  forget  that  their  church  work 
is  a  responsibility  that  God  has  laid  upon  them. 
If  a  church  in  time  of  distress  and  out  of  its 
poverty  subscribes  towards  the  support  of  its 
pastor,  and  by  means  of  self-denial,  the  pastor 
too  will  deny  himself  and  be  ready  to  endure 
affliction  for  the  sake  of  the  church.  The  self- 
denial  exercised  by  both  parties  will  lead  to  their 
love  for  each  other.  When  the  opposite  is  the 
case,  when  the  church  does  nothing  towards 
supporting  the  pastor,  it  is  to  be  feared  that  he 
will  be  looked  upon  by  the  people  as  a  mere 
hireling ;  and  he  himself  will  be  deficient  in  the 
spirit  of  self-denial.  Thus  that  union  of  heart 
and  combination  of  effort,  that  spirit  of  love 
which  is  so  necessary  to  success,  will  be  wanting. 
Again,  if  by  self-denial  a  church  is  able  to  give 
to  God,  and  has  the  spirit  that  enables  it  with 
joy  to  endure  affliction,  then  the  pastors,  evan- 
gelists, and  missionaries  who  are  supported  by  it 
will  all  feel  that  they  are  intimately  connected 
with  the  carrying  out  of  this  principle,  and  that 
they  follow  in  the  footsteps  of  Him  who  denied 
himself  and  who  had  not  where  to  lay  his  head. 
They  will  realize  that  they  have  a  Father,  who 
knows  that  they  require  the  necessaries  of  life, 
and  they  will  trust  him  and  work  with  diligence 
and  without  distraction. 


Home  Mission  Work,  137 

The  principle  of  self-support,  then,  involves 
one^s  working  in  the  way  of  faith  in  the  prom- 
ises, and  means  that  one's  poverty  is  supplied 
by  the  riches  of  Christ's  grace;  and  although 
naturally  this  course  will  involve  a  number  of 
difficulties,  if  in  the  midst  of  trouble  we  pray  to 
the  Lord  for  help,  and  renouncing  self  depend 
on  him,  we  shall  gradually  get  nearer  to  him, 
and  our  faith  as  a  church  will  continually  in- 
crease. The  principle  of  self-support  has  a  ten- 
dency to  diminish  the  number  of  those  lovers  of 
the  world  who  act  the  hypocrite  when  they  enter 
the  Church  of  Christ.  What  the  real  believer 
seeks  for  is  not  the  pleasures  of  the  world  and 
the  flesh,  but  the  endless  bliss  of  the  life  to 
come  and  only  spiritual  profit.  He  seeks  to 
conquer  himself  and  glorify  God,  and  upon 
this  alone  he  sets  his  mind.  There  are  some 
rich  believers  in  certain  churches  who  object 
to  subscribing  money,  and  who  say:  ''When 
we  entered  the  Christian  Church  we  did  not  sup- 
pose that,  like  those  who  belong  to  the  Buddh- 
ist and  Shintoist  sects,  we  should  constantly 
be  called  upon  to  give  money  for  this  and 
that ;  we  entered  the  Church  to  economize  in  this 
respect,  but  wg  flind  that  it  is  not  so,  and  that 
as  Christians  we  are  still  expected  to  subscribe 
money  for  vax'ious  objects ;  we  must  say  we  are 


138  A  Modern  Paul 

disappointed  in  finding  things  as  they  are !  "  If 
the  idea  of  self-support  had  been  acted  on  from 
the  first,  such  mistaken  notions  would  never 
have  been  entertained. 

When,  instead  of  teaching  them  to  depend  on 
the  principle  of  self-suiDport,  money  is  given  to 
believers,  we  are  on  the  way  to  make  them  think 
lightly  of  the  Scripture  which  says,  "  Seek  first 
the  kingdom  of  God  and  his  righteousness,  and_ 
all  other  things  shall  be  added  unto  you."  We 
are  teaching  them  to  doubt  God's  promises  to 
them,  and  to  think  that  their  work  depends  for 
its  success  on  money  more  than  on  the  strength 
of  the  promises.  Thus  the  minds  of  believers 
are  gradually  weakened  (Matt.  6: 19-34). 

The  principle  of  self-support,  then,  is  but  an 
acting  up  to  that  which  Christ  taught  the  rich 
young  man ;  namely,  the  giving  up  of  all  the 
treasure  and  glory  of  this  world  and  the  accu- 
mulating of  treasure  in  heaven.  If  help  is  re- 
ceived from  the  foreign  missionary  and  there  is 
no  dependence  on  our  own  efibrts,  who  will  ex- 
ercise self-denial  and  feel  responsible  for  the 
work  of  the  church?  We  shall  of  course  think 
that  there  is  no  use  in  our  troubling  ourselves 
over  a  thing  for  which  other  people  are  respon- 
sible. The  benefits  arising  from  evangelistic 
work  are  such  as  affect  the  church,  the  evan- 


Home  Mission  Work.  139 

gelists,  and  those  who  are  members  of  the  mis- 
sionary committees,  as  well  as  the  places  in 
which  the  work  is  carried  on.  If  self-denial 
be  practiced,  and  money  be  subscribed  by  the 
believers,  the  members  will  always  be  thinking 
of  mission  work,  and  prayer  will  be  offered  on 
its  behalf ;  and  although  all  will  not  be  directly 
engaged  in  the  work,  yet  there  will  be  a  feel- 
ing of  responsibility  connected  with  it.  An)-- 
account  of  the  circumstances  under  which  it  is 
conducted,  as  well  as  the  results  that  it  yields, 
will  be  listened  to  with  pleasure  and  thankful- 
ness. If  evangelistic  work  be  carried  on  more 
diligently,  there  will  be  a  correspondence  be- 
tween the  outlay  of  money  and  the  increase  of 
a  spirit  of  self-denial  in  the  church;  and  not 
only  this,  but  being  a  thing  that  concerns 
themselves,  the  members  of  the  church  will 
use  discretion  in  the  outlay  of  money. 

On  the  one  hand,  then,  there  will  be  an  exhort- 
ing of  the  evangelists  to  be  more  zealous  in  the 
work ;  on  the  other  hand,  there  will  be  a  readi- 
ness to  make  known  the  circumstances  of  the 
work.  Thus  the  whole  church  will  be  stirred 
up,  and  will  seek  to  help  the  evangelists  by 
prayer,  and  to  increase  their  zeal;  and  whilst 
doing  this  they  themselves  will  be  brought 
nearer  to  God.    This  spirit  existing  among  the 


140  A  Modern  Paul 

evangelists  themselves,  and  the  members  of  the 
church,  they  will  one  and  all  be  ready  to  deny 
themselves  and  do  the  will  of  God,  and  depend 
on  the  promises  alone. 

If  those  who  are  engaged  in  direct  evangel- 
istic work,  and  all  the  members  of  the  church, 
have  this  spirit  of  self-denial  and  carry  on  the 
work  in  this  spirit,  those  who  receive  the  gospel 
will  gradually  lose  their  selfishness  and  will 
learn  how  to  glorify  God  and  push  forward  the 
evangelistic  work  in  the  places  where  it  is  being 
carried  on.  This  will  be  a  means  of  producing 
in  them  genuine  faith,  and  they  will  thus  learn 
to  deny  themselves.  For  in  the  practice  of  self- 
denial  they  will  be  very  much  guided  by  the 
conduct  of  other  believers.  Thus  when  believ- 
ers stimulate  each  other  and  assist  each  other, 
God's  name  will  be  glorified  and  spiritual  bless- 
ings sought  and  received. 

On  the  contrary,  when  money  is  received 
from  foreigners  there  is  great  danger  of  all 
Christian  zeal  being  lost.  I  could  give  numer- 
ous instances  of  this  that  have  come  under  my 
own  notice,  and  I  think  they  would  not  be 
without  interest;  but  this  would  lengthen  my 
address  too  much. 

To  state  in  a  word  the  benefits  to  be  derived 
from  the  carrying  out  of  the  principle  on  which 


Home  Mission  Work.  141 

T  have  been  insisting,  they  are  as  follows :  — 
Believers  are  by  this  means  led  to  self-denial,  and 
spirit  of  independence  and  faith  is  promoted. 
That  each  believer  should  have  this  spirit  is 
most  essential  to  enable  him  to  perform  effi- 
ciently those  duties  which  devolve  on  each  as  a 
Christian,  as  well  as  to  conduce  to  the  glory  of 
God.  If  the  spirit  of  self-support  yields  so 
much  benefit  to  the  individual  Christian,  it  is 
manifest  how  large  an  aggregate  of  good  to  the 
whole  Church  will  be  produced  by  its  general 
adoption. 

3.  A  state  of  self-support  is  not  unattainable. 

By  self-support  I  mean  the  providing  of 
money  by  the  Church  for  the  carrying  on  of  its 
work;  namely,  the  maintenance  of  the  Japan- 
ese churches  by  the  Japanese  themselves;  the 
paying  of  the  pastors  and  evangelists,  and  the 
providing  of  such  money  as  is  required  for  the 
due  discharge  of  the  duties  of  Christians.  As 
it  is  not  the  support  of  American  churches  or 
of  American  teachers,  there  is  nothing  unrea- 
sonable or  impracticable  in  this. 

The  principle  of  self-support  is  a  principle 
that  concerns  all  the  members  of  the  church, 
and  for  which  all  alike  are  responsible ;  it  is  the 
principle  of  all  giving  according  to  their  means. 
This  is  vastly  important.    There  are  many  who, 


142  A  Modern  Paul 

for  want  of  setting  aside  a  regular  time  for 
giving  and  fixing  the  amount  they  intend  to 
give,  neglect  giving  altogether.  The  rich,  for 
instance,  may  be  able  to  give  any  amount ;  but 
because  they  do  not  fix  on  the  exact  amount 
they  will  give,  it  often  ends  in  their  giving 
absolutely  nothing.  With  the  poor,  although 
the  circumstances  are  very  different,  the  result 
is  the  same.  They  live  from  hand  to  mouth, 
and  it  is  not  likely  that  they  will  find  any  sur- 
plus money  to  give  to  the  church  if  they  are 
not  in  the  habit  of  fixing  the  exact  amount  they 
intend  to  subscribe;  and  so  it  often  happens 
that  they  subscribe  neither  cents  nor  mills. 

It  will  be  asked,  How  is  the  principle  of  self- 
support  to  be  carried  out?  I  reply  that  if  all 
believers,  whether  rich  or  poor,  were  never 
to  neglect  giving  a  tenth  of  their  earnings, 
there  would  be  no  difiiculty  about  the  matter. 
As  regards  other  expenses  of  the  church, 
each  believer  might  every  day,  or  week  by 
week,  lay  by  money  for  this  purpose,  and  at 
the  end  of  the  month  the  expenses  be  divided 
up  and  each  man  take  his  share  in  defraying 
them  according  to  his  ability.  In  this  case  the 
poor  would  not  have  to  advance  much  at  one 
time,  no  one  would  feel  the  matter  a  burden, 
and  yet  the  sum  accumulated  by  degrees  would 


Home  Mission  Work.  143 

be  considerable;  and  by  means  of  it  a  great 
deal  of  good  could  be  accomplished.  [For  the 
support  of  a  girls'  school  the  share  of  each  sub- 
scriber was  two  mills  a  day.]  In  our  church 
we  are  in  the  habit  of  giving  one  yen  each 
towards  the  repairs  of  the  church  every  ten 
months. 

If  the  same  plan  be  adopted  in  collecting 
money  to  defray  incidental  expenses,  there  will 
be  little  difficulty  in  meeting  them.  I  have 
been  in  the  habit  of  exhorting  my  people  from 
the  pulpit  to  give  a  tenth  of  their  earnings. 
There  are  members  who  not  only  do  this  but 
who  give  for  other  objects  also,  as  occasion  calls 
for  it.  Doubtless  there  will  be  some  who  will 
not  act  up  to  this  principle,  but  among  members 
of  churches  I  doubt  whether  there  is  one  who 
would  not  give  a  certain  amount  every  month. 
I  believe  most  of  the  members  of  churches  feel 
their  responsibility  in  this  matter. 

There  are  those  who  say  that  although  after  a 
church  has  become  wealthy  it  is  very  proper  to 
enforce  the  law  of  self-support,  at  the  present, 
when  there  are  many  poor  people  in  churches, 
and  when  there  are  so  many  who  find  it  difficult 
to  get  a  living,  it  is  very  wrong  to  insist  on 
their  being  self-supporting;  for  by  doing  this 
you  make  the  subscribing  of  money  a  source 


144  A  Modern  Paul, 

of  trouble  to  the  members  of  the  church,  and 
prevent  them  from  serving  God  with  joy ;  and 
furthermore,  by  adopting  such  a  course  you 
weaken  the  faith  of  some  persons.  My  experi- 
ence is,  as  I  have  repeatedly  said  already,  that 
the  giving  of  money  is  the  means  of  increasing 
the  spiritual  blessing  received  by  believers,  and 
therefore  we  may  say  that  the  giving  of  money 
tends  to  increase  rather  than  decrease  the  joy 
which  believers  have  in  the  service  of  God. 

In  the  case  of  the  Jews,  when  they  had  been 
commanded  to  give  tithes  of  all  they  possessed 
and  did  not  do  it  they  were  accounted  robbers 
of  God's  property  (Mai.  3:8).  Jesus,  when 
he  saw  that  the  poor  widow  in  giving  her  mites 
was  giving  all  that  she  had,  jjraised  her  because 
out  of  her  poverty  she  had  given  to  God  (Luke 
21;  1-4).  Paul  said  of  the  Macedonians  that 
out  of  their  poverty  they  had  sent  to  him,  and 
that  he  rejoiced  over  the  happy  state  of  faith  in 
which  they  were  found,  and  commended  them 
to  God,  who  would  supply  all  their  need. 

Thus  it  is  plain  that  the  giving  of  money  in 
time  of  poverty  is  pleasing  to  God,  as  well  as 
the  means  of  bringing  spiritual  blessing  to  the 
donors  themselves.  God  expects  us  to  give 
only  according  to  our  ability  and  not  of  neces- 
sity either,  but  cheerfully ;  but  this  may  be  said 


Home  Mission  Work.  145 

not  only  in  reference  to  the  giving  of  money 
but  in  reference  to  everything  connected  with 
Christian  duty. 

If  the  church  does  not  voluntarily  entertain 
a  regard  for  the  plan  of  self-support,  it  is  not 
to  be  supposed  that  it  will  carry  it  out  well. 
The  true  believer  will  follow  after  righteous- 
ness as  one  that  hungers  and  thirsts,  and  then 
he  will  deny  himself  and  progress  more  and 
more  in  faith  and  zeal.  He  that  stumbles  in 
this  matter  stumbles  because  his  heart  is  not 
right  before  God. 

Again,  there  are  those  who  say  it  is  not  good 
to  insist  on  self-support  just  now,  when  the 
Church  is  still  poor;  wait  until  she  becomes 
rich,  say  they,  and  then  refuse  all  foreign  help. 
It  seems  to  me  that  when  the  Church  advances 
and  becomes  far  more  wealthy  than  she  is  now, 
then  her  duties  will  have  proportionately  in- 
creased. This  being  so,  the  ease  or  difficulty  of 
establishing  a  principle  of  self-support  is  im- 
mensely affected  by  the  time  at  which  it  is 
attempted,  whether  now  or  later  on.  If  it  is 
difficult  now,  I  fear  that  later  on,  when  the 
churches  shall  have  settled  down  into  the  condi- 
tion of  dependence,  the  difficulty  will  be  still 
greater.  At  the  present  time,  though  the  finan- 
cial resources  of  the  Church  are  very  limited, 


146  A  Modern  Paul. 

the  duties  of  the  Church  and  the  demands  made 
on  these  resources  are  correspondingly  limited. 
When  I  speak  of  the  duties  of  the  Church  being 
limited,  I  refer  to  the  fact  that  at  present  the 
number  of  believers  is  small,  and  that  therefore 
even  if  there  was  a  large  sum  of  money  at  the 
disposal  of  the  Church,  there  is  not  the  means 
of  using  it  just  now  that  there  will  be  when 
the  number  of  believers  is  largely  increased. 
At  the  present  time,  how  many  men  are  there 
who  may  be  looked  on  as  real  evangelists?  To 
my  mind  just  now  the  want  of  men  should 
cause  us  more  anxiety  than  the  want  of  money. 
I  was  impressed  with  a  remark  made  to  this 
effect  two  or  three  years  ago  when  some  one 
said :  "  At  the  present  time  it  is  not  the  want  of 
men  that  troubles  us,  but  the  poverty  of  the 
Church;  if  the  Church  possessed  the  means 
wherewith  to  pay  good  salaries,  numbers  would 
be  ready  to  give  up  their  present  occupations 
and  become  evangelists."  There  may  be  times, 
for  all  I  know,  when  such  a  principle  as  this  is 
acted  on,  but  I  believe  that  in  the  case  of  those 
who  believe  in  undertaking  Christian  work  be- 
cause they  are  called  of  God  to  do  it,  those  are 
very  few  with  whom  money  is  such  a  supreme 
object  as  to  lead  them  to  doubt  the  promise  that 
all  necessary  tilings  shall  be  given  them  by  God, 


Home  Mission  Work.  147 

and  who  wait  to  see  whether  they  will  receive 
good  wages  before  they  engage  in  Christian 
work.  In  the  case  of  those  evangelists  about 
whose  genuineness  there  is  no  doubt,  who  have 
been  called  by  God  and  the  Church  to  undertake 
the  work,  they  will  never  allow  their  service  to 
God  to  depend  on  the  presence  or  absence  of 
money;  they  will  devote  themselves  and  all 
they  possess  to  the  work  of  spreading  the  gos- 
pel. God  has  promised  that  necessary  things 
shall  be  supplied;  therefore  the  true  minister 
should  wait  for  some  church  to  provide  the 
money  necessary  for  his  support,  and  to  employ 
him.  This  is  giving  up  all  and  following 
Christ.  This  is  following  in  the  path  of  Peter, 
John,  and  the  other  apostles  who  became  minis- 
ters of  God. 

It  is  not  simply  an  increase  of  men,  without 
regard  to  their  qualification,  that  we  need.  If 
we  employ  a  number  of  men  that  are  not  real 
evangelists,  we  shall  find  that  they  are  not  able 
to  do  the  work  of  Him  who  alone  can  save  the 
soul.  Doubtless  there  will  be  a  great  saving  of 
time  by  having  an  increase  in  the  number  of 
workers,  and  there  will  be  other  beneficial 
results  as  well ;  yet  it  behooves  us  to  take  care 
how  we  build  the  Church  of  God.  If  we  build 
with  wood,  hay,  and  stubble,  such  workman- 


148  A  Moder7i  Paul 

ship  will  be  destroyed  by  fire  at  the  last  day, 
and  we  shall  suffer  loss;  our  works  shall  be 
tried  in  God's  fire.  Therefore  that  our  work 
should  be  real  and  that  we  should  make  use  of 
gold,  silver,  costly  stones,  material  that  will 
stand  the  trial  of  that  day,  is  most  important 
(ICor.  3:12-15). 

It  is  said  by  some  that  in  our  church  in  the 
matter  of  self-support  we  overdo  the  thing 
altogether;  that  we  insist  on  the  church  being 
wholly  self-supporting,  and  that  in  attempting 
to  become  so  the  believers  have  each  to  give  too 
much  money;  that  it  is  a  source  of  great  dis- 
tress to  them,  and  that  they  get  no  peace.  But 
this  is  all  a  mistake.  If  there  is  any  one  in  our 
church  who  finds  the  giving  of  money  a  source 
of  trouble  to  him,  it  is  because  he  has  been 
remiss  in  doing  his  duty  in  this  respect.  Those 
who  have  learned  how  to  give,  those  who 
believe  our  Lord's  words  and  think  it  ''more 
blessed  to  give  than  to  receive"  —  these  give 
with  pleasure  and  without  stint. 

To  give  an  instance  of  this :  take  the  money 
that  has  been  advanced  for  evangelistic  purposes 
during  the  past  two  years.  The  monthly  aver- 
age has  been  ten  yen,  and  the  yearly  average 
from  110  to  139  yen ;  yet  on  no  occasion  have  I 
pressed  a  single  person.    Each  one    has   pre- 


Home  3Iission  Work.  149 

seiited  to  me  what  amouut  of  money  he  thought 
proper,  and  when  the  sum  has  been  insufficient  I 
have  prayed  to  God  and  he  has  given  me  more. 
There  has  been  no  requiring  that  each  person 
shall  pay  so  much,  no  forcing  of  any  kind; 
nevertheless  up  to  the  present  time  there  has 
been  no  want  of  money  for  the  various  branches 
of  work.  This  is  sufficient  proof  that  the  giv- 
ing of  money  is  not  looked  upon  as  a  trial. 

There  are  those  who  say  that  the  carrying  out 
of  the  principle  of  self-support  is  the  means 
of  bringing  trouble  on  the  Church,  while  God 
never  designed  it  should  suffer.  I  reply  that  we 
know  of  no  trouble  that  has  been  brought  on  us 
by  our  own  mistakes  in  this  matter ;  but  we  do 
know  that  in  denying  ourselves  we  are  follow- 
ing in  the  footsteps  of  Christ  and  endeavoring 
to  act  up  to  the  spirit  of  Saint  Paul,  who  buffeted 
his  flesh,  hoping  thereby  to  be  a  partaker  of 
more  spiritual  blessing. 

There  are  those  who  think  that  unless  in  the 
church  accounts  a  balance  to  the  credit  of  the 
church  is  in  hand,  nothing  whatever  should  be 
undertaken.  My  experience  leads  me  to  believe 
that  where  there  is  real  work  going  on  the 
means  for  carrying  it  on  will  be  forthcoming. 
I  do  not  mean  to  say  that  no  difficulties  what- 
ever will  occur;  but  if  in  trying  to  carry  out 


150  A  Modern  Paul. 

the  principle  of  self-support  we  are  doiDg  the 
will  of  God,  then  the  Church  will  be  benefited 
by  it,  the  believers  will  gain  strength,  their  hope 
will  be  made  more  fervent,  and  the  way  of 
faith  be  advanced.  As  an  illustration  of  what 
I  said  just  now,  that  where  there  is  real  work 
the  money  will  be  forthcoming,  let  me  relate 
what  occurred  last  year :  — 

Owing  to  the  work  of  evangelization  having 
made  such  progress,  we  thought  it  advisable  to 
employ  a  man  who  should  do  nothing  else  but 
preach  to  the  heathen.  Having  found  a  man 
of  faith  who  seemed  very  suitable  for  the  work, 
we  were  desirous  of  employing  him,  but  were 
at  a  loss  to  know  how  to  provide  his  salary .  This 
difficulty  was  got  over  by  the  salary  being  pro- 
vided by  the  believers  belonging  to  the  church. 
Here  is  a  case  in  which  the  worker  and  his 
work  are  alike  pleasing  to  God,  and  in  which  it 
was  felt  that  the  evangelist  was  qualified  for 
his  work ;  therefore  the  money  for  his  support 
was  gladly  advanced. 

Again  there  are  those  who  wish  to  do  things 
so  precisely  that,  like  merchants,  they  think  that 
unless  money  sufficient  to  meet  all  the  expenses 
is  in  hand  at  the  commencement,  although  they 
know  the  will  of  God,  they  cannot  make  any 
attempt  to  carry  it  out.    Such  as  these,  without 


Home  Mission  Work.  151 

advancing  far  enough  to  ascertain  what  the 
principle  of  self-support  really  is,  meet  half- 
way, and  prophesy  certain  failure  to  the  scheme  ; 
and  those  who  do  this  to  show  that  the  course 
they  recommend  is  in  accordance  with  the  will 
of  God  are  in  the  habit  of  referring  to  Luke 
14 :  28,  in  which  we  are  exhorted  to  count  the 
cost  before  commencing  anything.  But  this 
illustration,  rather  than  supporting  their  argu- 
ment, supports  ours,  for  Christ  here  exhorts 
those  who  serve  him  to  continue  to  the  end 
denying  themselves,  bearing  affliction,  for  this 
is  what  they  are  to  expect  beforehand ;  and  they 
are  exhorted  to  take  care  that  they  do  not  lose 
heart  and  stumble.  If  such  arguments  as  are 
advanced  by  those  of  whom  I  am  now  speaking 
were  to  be  strictly  maintained  and  acted  upon, 
it  would  soon  end  in  the  chief  object  of  Christian 
work,  considered  as  a  work  that  is  to  be  origi- 
nated by  believers  themselves,  being  lost  sight 
of  altogether. 

There  are  those  who  say,  ^^  Our  church  has 
tried  to  support  itself  and  failed;  and  having 
proved  it  to  be  impracticable,  we  consider  the 
discussion  of  the  question  utterly  useless."  It 
seems  to  me  that  it  is  the  commencement  of  self- 
support  that  shows  what  believers  are  made  of. 
If  at  that  time  Christians  are   ready   to  deny 


152  A  3Iodern  Paul 

themselves,  and  each  takes  his  share  in  the 
responsibility  of  supporting  the  church,  and  if 
at  the  same  time  there  is  a  spirit  of  unity  among 
them,  the  plan  will  work. 

When  the  opposite  is  the  case,  it  must  neces- 
sarily fail.  The  presence  of  this  spirit  in  the 
church  is  intimately  connected  with  the  state  of 
faith  of  those  who  belong  to  the  clmrch. 
Whilst  listening  to  the  remarks  of  various  Chris- 
tian brethren,  I  hear  it  continually  said  that  as 
at  present  the  financial  resources  of  the  Church 
are  very  limited,  unless  some  rich  people  are 
brought  into  it,  an  attempt  is  made  to  accumu- 
late church  property,  and  means  are  devised  for 
getting  money,  nothing  can  be  done. 

To  hear  these  people  talk  it  would  seem  as 
though  they  wished  to  attain  financial  independ- 
ence without  touching  their  own  pockets.  It 
is  to  be  feared  that  such  persons  as  these  will 
lose  the  spirit  of  self-denial  and  the  readiness  to 
serve  God  as  real  believers  ought  to  do.  Christ 
said  that  whosoever  could  not  give  up  everything 
for  his  sake  was  not  worthy  to  be  called  his  dis- 
ciple. The  great  want  of  the  church  to-day  is 
strong  faith.  If  this  faith  be  present,  the  money 
will  be  forthcoming. 

Take  an  illustration  of  this:  Here  is  a  man 
walking  by  the  sea,  and  he  sees  a  man  who  has 


Home  Mission  Work.  153 

fallen  into  the  water.  Either  he  will  jump  into 
the  water  to  save  him  or  he  will  throw  a  rope 
to  him  with  the  hope  of  saving  him  by  this 
means.  If  he  has  no  rope,  he  will  attempt  to 
save  him  by  throwing  his  girdle  ^  into  the  water. 
This  girdle  may  have  cost  some  thirty  or  forty 
yen ;  but  does  he  grudge  the  money  when  his 
brother's  life  is  in  danger?  No;  rather  than 
regret  the  loss  of  a  costly  girdle  a  man  will  re- 
joice that  he  has  an  opportunity  of  so  using  it. 
If  this  is  done  with  the  object  of  saving  a  life 
that  must  be  taken  away  some  day,  how  much 
more  should  believers  be  ready  to  go  to  any  ex- 
pense that  may  be  required  if  they  really  believe 
that  they  will  thus  be  able  to  save  the  life  of  an 
immortal  soul !  As  a  matter  of  fact,  does  the 
Church's  lack  of  the  money  required  for  the 
work  of  saving  souls  arise  from  there  being 
nothing  in  the  possession  of  believers  to  give? 
Is  it  not  rather  owing  to  the  weak  faith  which 
keeps  them  from  giving? 

There  are  those  who  say  that  if  a  church,  with 
a  view  of  becoming  self-supporting  in  every- 
thing, has  to  subscribe  money  for  a  large  number 
of  objects,  some  most  important  things  will  have 
to  be  neglected,  and  thus  great  injury  be  done 
to  the  church.    As  for  instance  they  say  of  the 

iThe  Japanese  girdle  is  very  long. 


154  A  Modern  Paul. 

Eoka  Church:  **  They  are  called  a  self -support- 
ing church,  but  seeing  that  they  do  not  possess  a 
church  building,  in  a  most  essential  particular 
they  are  deficient :  we  look  upon  the  possession 
of  a  place  of  worship  as  most  indispensable  to 
the  carrying  on  of  the  work  of  the  church,  for 
fti  case  of  persecution  arising  and  it  proving 
impossible  to  hire  a  house,  if  there  were  no 
church,  there  would  be  no  basis  whatever  for 
the  carrying  on  of  the  work." 

I  think  that  if,  like  other  bodies  of  Christians, 
we  could  erect  a  good-sized  church,  with  an  in- 
creased amount  of  light  and  purer  air  when  we 
meet,  it  would  be  most  helpful  to  our  work  as 
well  as  pleasant  in  itself ;  but  at  the  same  time 
we  do  not  think  this  has  anything  to  do  with  a 
church's  being  deemed  entirely  self-supporting. 
A  self-supporting  church  is  a  church  that  pays 
its  teachers,  pastors,  and  evangelists,  and  pro- 
vides funds  for  the  propagation  of  the  gospel. 
These  things  are  of  primary  importance.  But 
in  reference  to  the  matter  of  erecting  a  building 
to  be  set  apart  for  worship,  if  there  be  a  de- 
sire on  the  part  of  the  church  to  put  up  such 
a  building,  the  means  of  erecting  it  will  be 
forthcoming.  And  as  regards  a  time  of  perse- 
cution coming,  in  which  any  house  hired  for 
preaching  would  have  to  be  given  up,  at  such  a 


Home  Mission  Work,  155 

time  the  church  would  be  in  as  much  danger  of 
being  set  on  fire  as  the  house  is  of  being  taken 
away.  At  such  times  we  must  leave  our  cause 
in  the  hand  of  the  Almighty,  and  there  will  be 
no  occasion  for  anxiety.  At  the  time  of  the 
apostles  it  seems  that  church  buildings  were  not 
numerous.  As  we  read  of  *Hhe  church  which 
is  in  his  house,"  it  appears  that  houses  were 
used  as  churches.  Therefore  it  cannot  be  said 
now  that  because  a  house  is  hired  and  used  as  a 
church  a  church  is  not  self-supporting. 

I  have  heard  it  said  that  when  a  church  like 
mine  carries  out  the  law  of  self-support  to  the 
extent  of  conducting  the  various  branches  of 
the  work  without  receiving  any  pecuniary  help 
fi'om  foreign  missionary  societies,  such  a  church 
is  bigoted  or  that  it  is  desirous  of  making  for 
itself  a  name.  It  is  nothing  of  the  kind.  Our 
only  desire  is  that  the  principle  of  self-support 
be  strictly  observed,  for  if  even  on  only  one 
occasion  or  in  some  small  matter  help  be  re- 
ceived from  some  one  else,  the  believers'  sted- 
fastness  of  purpose  becomes  relaxed  and  they 
lose  the  spirit  of  zeal;  and  we  fear  lest  its 
effects  should  be  felt  throughout  the  whole 
Church;  and  as  our  natures  are  weak  we  take 
precautions  against  our  going  astray  in  this 
matter. 


156  A  Moflern  Paul, 

Seeing  that  there  is  a  good  number  of  brethren 
in  our  church  who  do  not  at  all  like  to  have  the 
principle  of  self-support  observed,  and  wishing 
to  follow  the  will  of  God  in  the  matter,  I  have 
prayed  earnestly  about  it  and  have  carefully 
examined  myself  in  reference  to  it;  but  it  is 
plainly  my  duty  to  follow  what  I  consider  to  be 
the  truth. 

I  have  set  forth,  then,  before  you  all  the  argu- 
ments that  have  led  me  to  believe  in  the  prin- 
ciple of  self-support.  I  hope  that  you  will  thor- 
oughly discuss  the  subject.  I  and  my  church,  see- 
ing that  we  belong  to  Christ,  whatever  can  be  in 
accordance  with  his  will,  that  we  will  follow. 
If  we  can  be  brought  to  believe  that  any 
other  way  than  that  we  have  walked  in  is  in 
accordance  with  his  will,  we  will  reform  and 
walk  in  that  way. 

I  hope  you  will  all  state  your  convictions  on 
the  subject  without  any  reserve  whatever. i 

I I  should  attribute  the  merit  of  stirring  up  the  spirit  of 
self-reliance,  self-help,  and  self-support  in  Japanese  society 
and  in  Japanese  churches  in  the  main  to  Samuel  Smiles, 
Rev.  H.  H.  Leavitt,  and  Rev.  Paul  Sawayama.  They  were 
the  champions  of  the  principle  of  self-support  there.  "  Self- 
help,"  by  Samuel  Smiles,  has  encouraged  many  youngpeople 
in  Japan.  Mr.  Leavitt's  teaching  and  work  as  a  mission- 
ary stirred  up  the  spirit  of  self-support  in  the  Church,  and 
stamped  this  principle  unconsciously  upon  many  minds. 
Mr.  Sawayama  met  the  great  need  of  the  time  by  erecting 
this  principle  into  a  permanent  power  in  Japan. 


CHAPTER  V. 

woman's  education. 

R.  SAWAYAMA  was  much  inter- 
ested in  woman's  education  in 
Japan,  and  he  contributed  im- 
portant ideas  to  the  educational  world.  I 
wish  to  give  my  readers  some  idea  of  the 
education  of  Japanese  women  in  order  to 
show  Mr.  Sawayama's  position. 

The  chief  element  of  woman's  educa- 
tion in  old  Japan  was  to  cultivate  what 
they  called  jo-toku  —  woman's  virtues. 
The  first  principles  of  jo-tokii  were  chas- 
tity and  obedience.  Thus  the  following 
sentiment  has  been  familiar  to  Japanese 
women :  "  One  woman  should  not  know 
two  men  in  her  life."  Therefore  compar- 
atively few  women,  especially  in  the  upper 
class,  ever  married  after  losing  their  hus- 
bands. There  were  also  a  few  instances 
where  women  lost  their  lives  in  defending 


158  A  Modern  Paul 

their  chastity.  As  a  rule,  the  morality  of 
Japanese  women  was  superior  to  that  of 
the  men.^ 

The  most  familiar  sentiment  in  regard  to 
the  virtue  of  obedience  was  what  they  called 
san-jiu  —  the  three  obediences.  These 
three  obediences  were:  first,  to  obey  the 
parents  in  girlhood ;  second,  to  obey  the 
husband  in  wifehood ;  third,  to  obey  her 
oldest  son  after  her  husband's  death.  So 
the  woman's  virtues  were:  to  be  obedient, 
meek,  modest,  humble,  patient,  temperate ; 
to  give  the  best  to  men  ;  to  give  the 
upper  seats  to  men;  and  to  help  her 
husband. 

There  existed  the  evil  tendency  of 
looking  down  upon  women.  No  doubt 
this  custom  was  the  result  of  the  feudal 
system  and  the  teachings  of  Confucianism 
and  Buddhism.  As  a  rule,  the  Oriental 
idea  was  that  "  woman  is  as  low  as  earth, 
while  man  is  as  high  as  heaven." 

1  There  were  many  degraded  girls  in  the  lowest  class,  but 
in  these  instances  men  were  more  responsible  than  the  girle 
themselves. 


Womari's  Education.  159 

The  next  matter  of  importance  in 
woman's  training  was  etiquette,  of  which 
there  were  more  than  three  thousand 
forms.  It  was  regarded  as  an  art  of 
high  order,  hence  the  study  of  it  by  girls 
was  insisted  upon.  The  essential  spirit 
of  etiquette  was  the  condition  of  mind; 
namely,  tranquillity,  peace  in  the  heart, 
lovingkindness  towards  others,  the  spirit 
of  self-sacrifice  and  self-denial,  willing- 
ness to  obey  nature,  and  readiness  to 
govern  herself  according  to  circumstances. 

There  were  many  forms  and  methods 
for  doing  things.  For  instance,  there 
was  a  style  of  woman's  writing  which 
differed   from   man's   way    of  expression. 

The  third  important  thing  in  a  girl's 
education  was  sewing.  The  Japanese  re- 
garded the  home  as  woman's  sphere ;  so 
they  thought  sewing  and  housekeeping 
necessary  things  for  girls  to  learn.  This 
was  the  instruction  for  women  :  "  Rise  up 
early,  sit  up  late,  and  do  not  take  a  nap 
in  the   daytime ;  give  your  attention   to 


160  A  Modern  Paul 

housekeeping,  and  be  not  lazy  in  sewing 
and  weaving." 

In  addition  to  the  training  already  men- 
tioned, the  parents  of  the  samurai  taught 
their  daughters  the  art  of  fencing  peculiar 
to  women.  The  object  was  to  produce  the 
national  spirit  in  the  girls,  so  that  when 
they  became  mothers  they  might  inspire 
their  children  with  an  heroic  spirit.  It  was 
also  designed  to  make  woman  gracious  and 
peaceful  in  her  difficulties,  and  even  be- 
fore her  enemies,  as  she  trained  herself  to 
stand  before  them  in  defense.  Thus  the  na- 
tional spirit  was  developed  to  quite  an  ex- 
tent among  the  women  of  the  upper  class. 

There  were  several  heroines  who  be- 
came famous  by  fighting  in  battle.  In 
the  history  of  Japan  there  were  thirteen 
queens  who  really  administered  civil 
affairs,  one  of  whom  went  to  Korea 
to  fight  as  a  general.  I  could  refer  to 
many  instances  of  heroines  and  those 
who  had  the  strong  national  spirit  among 
daughters  of  the  samurai. 


WbmaTi's  Education,  161 

But  even  among  another  class  of 
women  we  find  the  development  of  this 
same  spirit.  For  instance,  the  daughter 
of  a  merchant  committed  suicide  at  the 
gate  of  the  government  building  in 
Kyoto  in  1891,  when  Japan  had  some 
trouble.  Her  motive  was  self-sacrifice 
for  her  country's  sake.  As  she  was 
trained  in  the  old  Japanese  way,  her 
judgment  was  wrong,  but  her  motive 
noble.  She  decided  to  die  for  her  coun- 
try, prepared  for  it,  made  a  journey  of 
two  hundred  miles  to  the  gate,  and  com- 
mitted harakiri  calmly. 

At  the  present  time,  a  time  of  reforma- 
tion in  the  country,  especially  in  woman's 
sphere,  the  national  spirit  in  young  girls  is 
very  strong. 

The  greatest  lack  in  woman's  education 
was  intellectual  training.  Higher  educa- 
tion was  thought  to  be  unnecessary  and 
impossible  for  women ;  so  they  only 
taught  girls  to  read  easy  books,  to  write 
letters,  and  to  know  about  those  matters 


1G2  A  Modern  Paul 

that  pertained  to  woman's  life  and  work 
in  the  liousehold.  Their  education  also 
included  a  knowledge  of  music  and  draw- 
ing, together  with  some  poems.  There 
were,  however,  exceptional  cases.  A  few 
women  acquired  distinction  as  scholars 
and  authors.  When  Japan  opened  her 
gates  to  Western  civilization,  she  saw  and 
admired  the  higher  culture  of  women  in 
other  countries.  As  a  result,  the  govern- 
ment adopted  a  school  system,  patterned 
after  the  best  of  other  nations,  and  urged 
even  girls  from  six  years  old  to  thirteen 
to  attend  the  public  schools. 

Several  scholars  insisted  upon  woman's 
higher  education.  The  missionaries  of 
America  were  the  first  to  start  girls' 
schools  for  a  higher  education ;  and  we  are 
very  much  indebted  to  American  lady 
missionaries  for  the  progress  of  our 
women.  But  at  that  time  there  existed 
some  feebleness  and  deficiencies  in  the 
schools,  caused  by  the  reliance  of  the 
native   Christians   upon    foreign    charity, 


Woman'' s  Educati07i,  163 

and  also  by  the  fact  that  the  schools  were 
managed  by  missionaries  who  could  not 
appreciate  fully  Japanese  needs. 

Mr.  Sawayama's  school  for  girls  was 
the  first  self-supporting  school,  and  set  an 
example  which  was  followed  by  others 
in  due  time.  There  are  now  quite  a 
number  of  self-supporting  Christian  girls' 
schools.  Even  the  mission  schools  are 
changing  ;  for  instance,  one  girls'  school 
in  Tokyo  belonged  to  an  American  Mis- 
sionary Society,  and  it  was  supported  and 
managed  entirely  by  American  ladies. 
Japanese  teachers  were  only  their  assist- 
ants. But  when  Bishop  William  Hare 
came  to  Japan  in  1891  he  saw  the  con- 
dition of  things  and  judged  it  better  to 
let  the  Japanese  support  and  manage  their 
own  schools.  So  he  executed  a  plan  to  re- 
organize the  school  and  to  transfer  the 
power  of  management  to  the  hands  of 
the  Japanese. 

The  oldest  and  largest  girls'  school  in 
Osaka  city  is  called  the  "  Plum-blossom 


164  A  Modern  Paul 

(jirls'  School."  If  I  explain  the  origin  of 
the  name,  the  reader  may  understand  the 
origin  of  the  school. 

In  1878  there  were  only  two  small 
churches  in  Osaka  city.  One  of  them 
was  called  the  Umemoto  Church  (meaning 
Plum-root  Church),  and  the  other,  Naniwa 
Church  (meaning  Wave-blossom  Church). 
The  two  churches  contained  about  sixty 
members.  They  united  to  start  a  girls' 
school  on  a  self-supporting  basis.  They 
raised  about  thirty  dollars  from  the  two 
churches.  With  this  they  rented  a  house 
and  fitted  up  dormitories  and  class-rooms. 
Two  of  the  founders  were  experienced 
teachers,  and  promised  to  manage  the 
school  and  to  teach  in  it  almost  without 
salary.  They  took  the  word  "  plum " 
from  the  name  of  one  of  the  churches, 
and  the  word  "  blossom  "  from  the  name 
of  the  other,  and  called  their  school  the 
Plum-blossom  schooh 

The  school  was  opened  on  the  eleventh 
of    January,    1878.     It    began    with    two 


Woman''s  Education.  165 

Japanese  and  two  American  teachers,  and 
fifteen  pupils.  It  grew  rapidly  every 
month  ;  but  after  three  months  the  house 
which  it  was  occupying  was  sold  into  other 
hands.  The  school  was  obliged  to  move 
into  other  quarters,  and  lost  the  thirty 
dollars  which  it  had  invested. 

The  school  labored  under  three  special 
difficulties :  the  people  hated  the  Chris- 
tian principles  which  were  taught ;  public 
opinion  was  opposed  to  the  higher  educa- 
tion of  women ;  self-support  was  a  great 
task.  Still  it  continued  for  two  years, 
when  it  became  necessary  to  remove  a 
second  time  into  new  quarters.  It  seemed 
almost  impossible  to  support  the  school 
any  longer.  But  at  this  crisis  all  the 
Christians  encouraged  the  school  authori- 
ties, everybody  contributed  something,  and 
about  five  hundred  dollars  were  collected. 
With  this  the  managers  built  a  new 
building,  which  was  the  property  of  the 
school.  The  school  has  now  two  large 
buildings  which   can   accommodate   more 


166  A  Modern  Paul. 

than  four  hundred  students.  About  six 
years  ago  the  number  of  students  m- 
creased  to  about  four  hundred.  Just  now 
there  is  a  reaction  in  Japan  against  higher 
education  for  women,  in  consequence  of 
which  the  number  of  pupils  has  decreased.^ 
But  I  am  sure  that  this  will  be  but  a  tem- 
porary movement,  and  that  the  school  will 
soon  recover  from  it. 

Fifteen  years  ago  there  was  no  high 
school  for  girls  in  Osaka  city,  which  then 
contained  a  population  of  five  hundred 
thousand.  In  the  fourth  year  of  the 
Plum-blossom  School,  Mr.  Tateno,  the 
governor  of  the  province,  who  is  now 
Japanese  minister  at  Washington,  paid 
the  school  a  visit.  He  watched  with 
especial  admiration  the  experiments  of 
the  students  in  chemistry.  He  congratu- 
lated the  girls  upon  their  progress,  and  in 

1  At  the  most  flourishing  time  of  the  scliool,  the  managers 
borrowed  a  lai'ge  sum  of  money  Avith  which  they  built  the 
large  buildings.  It  was  probably  a  great  mistake,  because 
when  the  reaction  came  they  could  not  pay  the  debt  and 
suffered  a  great  deal.  At  last  they  secured  tempoi-ary  help 
from  the  American  Board  through  the  mission. 


WomarCs  Education,  167 

addressing  the  school  he  said  that  since 
his  whole  province  (containing  a  popula- 
tion of  over  1,600,000)  had  but  this  one 
high  school  for  girls,  he  hoped  the  school 
would  prosper  greatly.  But  now  we  have 
many  girls'  high  schools  in  Osaka  city. 

The  Plum-blossom  School  teaches  sci- 
ences, history,  Japanese,  Chinese,  and 
English  literature,  arithmetic,  algebra, 
geometry,  music,  sewing,  domestic  science, 
etc.  The  school  was  modeled  in  some 
respects  after  Mt.  Holyoke  Seminary.  It 
was  animated  by  the  same  spirit  of  inde- 
pendence, economy,  perseverance,  and 
service  for  others.  So  the  pupils  cooked, 
swept,  washed,  and  took  care  of  the  school- 
rooms and  the  gardens.  For  many  years 
no  servant  was  employed.  Both  teachers 
and  pupils  worked  very  hard.  The  school 
did  not  grow  without  many  sacrifices  and 
struggles. 

Mr.  Sawayama,  of  course,  was  one  of 
the  founders,  and  was  for  some  time  the 
president    of    the    Plum-blossom    School. 


168  A  Modern  Paul 

He  says  in  March,  1880 :  ''  I  began  to 
conduct  the  daily  religious  exercises  of 
our  girls'  school  as  I  used  to  do  before. 
We  have  over  fifty  girls  and  it  is  very 
interesting  to  help  them  to  come  to  the 
Redeemer." 


CHAPTER   VI. 

THE   WORK  IN  NIIGATA. 

[HE  province  of  Niigata  is  the 
northernmost  and  largest  prov- 
ince of  the  main  island  of 
Japan.  It  contains  a  population  of  about 
1,700,000.  Niigata  city  is  the  capital  of 
the  province  and  a  treaty  port. 

Eight  years  ago  Dr.  Palm,  an  English 
missionary,  who  had  been  working  there 
earnestly  for  ten  years,  returned  to  his 
native  land.  The  visible  results  of  his 
work  were  small ;  for  the  people  held  fast 
to  their  faith  in  Buddhism.  After  Dr. 
Palm  returned  to  England,  Mr.  O.  H. 
Gulick,  Mr.  Davis,  Dr.  Doremus  Scudder 
and  his  sister,  took  the  field  as  mission- 
aries of  the  American  Board.  Work 
was  begun  upon  the  self-supporting  basis. 
Mr.  Sawayama  had  preached  in  this  field 
during   the   summer   of   1884.     He  gave 


170  A  Modern  Paul 

new  life  to  the  church.  Two  years  later 
there  came  a  crisis  in  the  life  of  this 
Niigata  church.  The  church  had  invited 
a  preacher  from  Mr.  Sawayama's  church. 
From  various  circumstances  he  was  hesi- 
tating, apparently  unable  to  decide  to  go. 
Mr.  Sawayama  was  very  ill.  He  could 
hope  to  live  only  a  very  little  while  longer. 
The  oft-repeated  prophecy  of  his  physi- 
cians could  not  remain  much  longer  unful- 
filled ;  but  in  his  cheerful,  courageous 
manner  he  persuaded  his  friend  to  leave 
him  and  go  to  the  Niigata  church. 

In  the  early  morning,  when  he  was 
starting  from  Osaka,  Mr.  Sawayama,  who 
at  that  time  was  not  even  allowed  to  see 
his  friends  in  his  own  room,  appeared  at 
the  station ;  and  the  last  words  which  he 
spoke  to  his  departing  friend  were  not 
those  of  a  weak  or  fainting  spirit,  but 
came  from  a  heart  alive  as  ever  with 
Christian  courage  and  good  cheer. 

When  the  minister  arrived  at  Niigata 
in   1886   there   were    only   about  twenty 


The  Work  in  Niigata.  171 

Christians  there ;  but  the  church  increased 
rapidly,  and  at  the  end  of  two  years  it  con- 
tained about  one  hundred  and  fifty  mem- 
bers.    Two  schools  were  also  founded. 

In  this  large  province  there  had  been 
no  girls'  school,  except  a  female  depart- 
ment in  the  normal  school.  So  a  school 
was  founded  upon  the  same  basis  as  that 
of  the  Plum-blossom  School.  The  gov- 
ernor, the  chief  justice,  the  mayor,  and 
other  leading  citizens  became  trustees  of 
the  school  and  helped  it  a  great  deal.  In 
two  years  this  new  school  had  two  build- 
ings worth  $2,500,  grounds  worth  1500, 
and  ninety  scholars.  The  funds  were 
raised  entirely  from  native  contributions. 

The  prejudice  of  the  people  of  Niigata 
(especially  of  the  older  people)  against 
Christianity  and  the  higher  education  of 
women  was  much  the  same  as  that  in 
Osaka.  One  or  two  instances  may  illus- 
trate the  condition  of  affairs :  — 

A  company  of  four  girls,  none  of  whom 
were  as  yet  Christians,  lived  in  Nagaoka, 


172  A  Modern  Paul 

about  thirty  miles  from  Niigata.  They 
became  greatly  dissatisfied  with  their  lives 
and  were  carried  away  with  the  desire 
to  receive  a  higher  education.  But  they 
could  not  secure  the  permission  of  their 
parents.  They  often  met  and  talked 
together,  and  in  one  of  their  secret  confer- 
ences they  agreed  that  it  would  be  better 
to  die  than  to  live  without  making  any 
progress. 

One  of  them  applied  to  an  academy  in 
the  city  for  admission,  but  the  reply  fell 
into  the  hands  of  her  father.  Her  father 
scolded  her  severely ;  her  mother  blamed 
her,  and  explained  to  her  that  there  was 
no  need  of  higher  education  for  women. 
The  girl  made  no  remonstrance  ;  but  after 
the  reproofs  of  her  parents  were  finished 
she  went  to  her  room  and  committed 
suicide. 

The  next  one  of  these  four  girls  had  a 
brother  in  Tokyo  University.  When  he 
returned  to  his  home  after  graduation  his 
sister  begged  him  to  take  her  with  him  to 


The  Work  in  Niigata.  173 

Tokyo  to  enter  a  girls'  school;  but  lie 
had  no  sympathy  with  her,  and  answered 
her  that  it  would  be  better  for  her  to  stay 
at  home  and  learn  to  cook  and  to  sew.  The 
poor  girl  was  entirely  discouraged;  and 
when  her  brother  left  home  for  Tokyo,  she 
put  an  end  to  her  life. 

The  parents  of  the  third  girl  discovered 
the  decision  into  which  she  had  entered 
with  her  companions,  and  allowed  her  to 
enter  the  Normal  School  at  Niigata. 

The  fourth  girl  became  a  Christian. 
But  she  was  subjected  to  severe  persecution 
by  her  parents,  who  at  last  sent  her  to  a 
remote  place  where  she  could  have  no 
means  of  correspondence  with  any  other 
Christians.  Since  that  time  nothing  has 
been  heard  of  her  by  her  fellow  Chris- 
tians. 

We  heard  of  many  cases  in  which  girls 
wished  to  come  to  our  schools,  but  their 
parents  would  not  allow  them  to  attend 
a  school  in  which  Christian  principles 
were   taught ;  but   many  girls   overcame 


174  A  Modern  Paul 

such  obstacles  and  became  students  in 
tliem. 

A  gentleman  wanted  very  much  to 
send  his  daughter  to  our  school  in  Niigata, 
but  his  old  parents  and  his  wife  did  not 
consent.  He  did  not  give  up  his  hope, 
however.  He  attempted  to  overcome 
their  prejudice.  He  began  to  read  The 
Woman's  Magazine  and  some  books  to 
his  whole  family  every  evening  after  sup- 
per. Thus  he  continued  for  six  months 
to  enlighten  their  darkened  hearts.  After 
six  months  of  such  work  he  was  able  to 
persuade  his  old  parents  and  his  wife  to 
allow  him  to  send  his  daughter  to  our 
school.  I  heard  this  story  from  his  lips 
when  he  brought  his  daughter  to  Niigata. 

It  took  another  girl  about  two  years  to 
get  her  father's  permission  to  enter  our 
school.  Having  no  hope  of  success,  she 
formed  another  plan  for  improving  herself. 
She  organized  a  woman's  club  with  her 
two  older  married  sisters  and  some  other 
girls   in   that  town  for   mutual  improve- 


The  Work  in  Niigata.  175 

ment.  Her  father  then  became  so  im- 
pressed with  her  strong  aspiration  for 
education  that  at  length  he  permitted  her 
to  come  to  our  schooL 

I  will  say  only  a  word  about  the  boys' 
school.  The  master  of  a  private  school 
was  converted,  and  at  once  offered  to  turn 
his  school  into  one  in  which  Christian 
principles  should  be  taught.  A  Christian 
gentleman  contributed  82,000  and  another 
gave  $200.  This  was  the  beginning  of 
the  boys'  school. 

The  self-sacrificing  spirit  of  Dr.  Henry 
Scudder  and  wife,  and  Miss  Kendall,  who 
came  to  Niigata  to  help  the  schools, 
they  serving  without  salary,  and  in  addi- 
tion paying  their  own  expenses,  stimulated 
many  Japanese  to  work  for  others  without 
compensation,  and  also  to  contribute  to 
these  schools. 

Mr.  Sawayama's  physical  strength  was 
almost  exhausted.  He  lay  in  the  hospital 
waiting  for  the  last  day.     I  called  upon 


176  A  Modern  Paul 

him,  and  in  the  course  of  conversation 
ventured  to  ask  him  if  he  did  not  feel 
lonesome.  He  answered  very  quickly  but 
very  quietly  that  he  never  did. 

When  he  could  no  longer  stand  in  his 
pulpit  he  began  the  compilation  of  a  book 
of  Christian  biography.  His  saying  that 
the  day  before  his  death  he  should  do  the 
same  work  as  at  any  other  time  was  no 
mere  boast.  Nor  was  there  any  element 
of  bravado  in  the  spirit  with  which  he 
met  death.  He  worked  because  just  so 
long  as  he  should  remain  in  this  world  his 
life  consisted  in  his  work.  When  death 
came  it  found  him  not  idly  waiting.  He 
had  not  finished  his  last  task.  His  un- 
completed manuscripts  were  gathered  by 
his  friends  and  published. 

As  death  approached,  Mi-.  Sawayama's 
mind  was  as  clear  as  ever.  He  prepared 
to  distribute  the  few  possessions  which  he 
had  among  his  friends.  He  wrote  down 
the  names,  with  the  specification  of  the 
gift  which  he  desired  to  give  to  each.     His 


The  Work  in  Niigata.  177 

inkstand  lie  had  planned  to  give  to  a 
friend  who  lived  at  a  considerable  distance. 
He  found  that  the  cover  had  been  lost. 
He  ordered  one  to  be  made  of  silver.  At 
the  last  he  called  his  little  eight-year-old 
daughter  to  his  side.  He  gave  her  a  gold 
ring  and  spoke  some  words  of  encourage- 
ment to  her.  There  was  no  longer  occa- 
sion in  his  own  life  for  that  Christian 
courage  which  had  distinguished  it  from 
the  first;  but  as  he  left  the  world  he 
would  communicate  it  to  his  child  as  his 
best  gift.  He  spoke  to  her  about  her 
studies  and  her  Christian  life,  and  told  her 
to  be  patient  till  her  uncle  should  return 
from  America  to  take  care  of  her.  He 
died  very  peacefully  and  hopefully,  March 
27,  1887. 

I  have  told  his  story  with  no  attempt  to 
eulogize  him,  simply  and  plainly  as  it  lies 
in  my  own  recollection.  He  was  to  me 
and  he  is  to  my  people  a  hero.  So 
bravely  did  he  live  and  so  bravely  did  he 
die,   that    he    might    say  with   confidence 


l78  A  Modern  Paul. 

those  great  words  of  his  great  namesake  -, 
"  I  have  fought  a  good  fight,  I  have  fin- 
ished my  course,  I  have  kept  the  faith; 
henceforth  there  is  laid  up  for  me  a  crown 
of  righteousness." 


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